The late 1970s didn’t begin any major wars involving the US, but it did have various conflicts as well as the end of the Vietnam War. The 1970s were part of the lengthy Cold War, between the USA and the USSR. In the Far East, to fend off Communism in Asia, the UNited States sent troops to Vietnam in the 60s and 70s, and as South Vietnam slowly succumbed to Communism, the United States focused on the surrounding areas such as Cambodia. During the late 1970s, the United States ran bombing runs over Cambodia to clear out any North Vietnamese invaders. South Vietnam finally fell to the communist North Vietnam in March of 1975. As a result, the United States evacuated American citizens from the city as the North Vietnamese invaded the area.
Also in 1979, a coup, backed by the United States, was attempted to overthrow the Iranian government following the rise of the Interim Government of Iran following the Iranian Revolution of that year.The United States had backed the Shah, despite his oppressive regime, because they felt Iran was strategically important due to it’s border with the Soviets. In 1979, the Shah was admitted to the United States for cancer treatment, confirming the belief that he was an American Puppet, ultimately resulting in the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
Also in 1979, a coup, backed by the United States, was attempted to overthrow the Iranian government following the rise of the Interim Government of Iran following the Iranian Revolution of that year.The United States had backed the Shah, despite his oppressive regime, because they felt Iran was strategically important due to it’s border with the Soviets. In 1979, the Shah was admitted to the United States for cancer treatment, confirming the belief that he was an American Puppet, ultimately resulting in the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
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Time Magazine - January 1980: Time Magazine is known for reporting on current event with the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan being one of them. Since the Cold War was still ongoing, the threat of Soviet power was still a fear many Americans had, and since both countries were continuously on the edge of Nuclear War over the course of five decades, the extensive News Coverage both informed and scared the American public. Soviet Communism was known as monolithic communism, due to the common perception that it consumed smaller countries by converting them to a Communist government.
Tags: Wars, Social, Political
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Afghan Refugee (1984): While taken in the mid-80s, this photo of an unnamed Afghan Refugee was meant to show the suffering brought to the country by the Soviet occupation in the late 70s and Early 80s. The photo soon reached iconic status, being featured on the front of Time magazine, and while the photo is one of the best known on the planet, the name of the subject was never found, since the photo was taken in a hurry, shown by the vivid, stunned, and angry stare in the subject’s eyes.
Tags: Wars, Social, Political
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Fall of Saigon (1975): In 1975, the North Vietnamese invaded the South Vietnamese Capital of Saigon, so the United States military sent helicopters to rescue American citizens from the North Vietnamese forces knowing they would be prosecuted otherwise. This iconic photo is of an American helicopter landing on a rooftop to take citizens to a safe place outside of North Vietnamese occupation. Many Vietnamese refugees paid six times the usual amount to obtain American visas during the Evacuation in an effort to escape the country.
Tags: Wars, Social, Political
Artifacts:
27) Time Magazine - Jan 1980 (Magazine Cover)
28) Afghan Refugee (Photo)
29) Fall of Saigon (Photo)
27) Time Magazine - Jan 1980 (Magazine Cover)
28) Afghan Refugee (Photo)
29) Fall of Saigon (Photo)