alternatehistory.com

There are some people who say that the main reason the USSR collapsed was that they invaded Afghanistan. Of course, there were many other reasons that the USSR collapsed, but it got me thinking - what if the Soviet Union didn't invade Afghanistan? Perhaps the USSR could covertly support the communists, but not actually intervene with troops on the ground. Would Gorbachev have still gotten into power? Would the SALT II treaty have been ratified? Would we have seen less defense spending under Reagan if Detente continued? And most importantly - would the Soviet Union have broken up "on schedule," assuming that Gorbachev still implements Perestroika and Glasnost?
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