January 2nd

What:
In response to the invasion of Afghanistan the United States ended its slowing strengthening relationship with the Soviet Union.

Where:
United States of America, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Year:
1980

Information and Signifigance
On this day in 1980, the United States decided to end its slowly improving diplomatic relationship with the Soviet Union. This period of time was known as the detente. The two superpowers agreed to end their tiome if rivalry and proxies for a more positive relationship. They worked together to limit nuclear weapons and find better solutions to their differences.

This all changed with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Afghanistan was a third-world communist state, which the Soviet union was giving large amounts of aid to similar to the US' relationship with South Vietnam directly before the Vietnam War. However, some of the Soviet actions offended many Muslims living in Afghanistan because many saw these actions changing Islamic traditions. Some of these formed and joined the Islamic fundamentalist movement known as the Mujahadeen. The Soviets saw the Mujahadeen as a threat to their borders and invaded Afghanistan. The United States saw this as an act of agression by the Soviet Union.

The US  recalled its ambassador in Moscow and ended the dentente period. With the end of this short period the Cold War resumed. The US started giving aid to the Mujahadeen to tie down the Soviets in a Vietnam-like war, and the nuslear arms race continued.