![]() ![]() Did the USSR use the coup to increase its influence in Afghanistan? ![]() In April of 1978, PDP members initiated what is now known as the Saur Revolution or the April Coup, overthrowing the ruling government and killing its leaders. The party’s influence spread both among civilians and in the Afghan army. A particularly important driver of change was the Marxist, antimonarchist People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which the Afghan government did not have the authority to ban. Gradually, Soviet influence in Afghanistan increased, especially after the collapse of the British Empire and the departure of colonial officials from the region. However, shortly after its formation, the USSR also began actively providing Afghanistan with economic aid despite the persistence of a monarchic government there. The Soviet Union did not dispute that status. The two empires ultimately agreed to allow Afghanistan to remain a neutral buffer state. ![]() British officials worried that the Russian military would annex Afghanistan and march toward the border of Britain’s largest colonial territory. In the second half of the 19th century, tensions between the British and Russian Empires surrounding Afghanistan nearly led to open conflict. After the tsarist government conquered the region now called Central Asia (including present-day Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan), only Afghanistan stood between Russian colonial power and British-controlled India. ![]() Was Afghanistan a Soviet enemy? Is that why they invaded?Īfghanistan’s geographic position gave it strategic significance even for the Russian Empire. ![]()
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