THE MODERN WORLD 341
THE MILITARY COUP
IN BRAZIL
(1964)The 1964 coup ousted Brazilian
president João Goulart, whose social
reforms were labeled “communist”
by opponents. The coup, which was
carried out by part of the army with
US backing, ushered in a military
government whose policies were
in line with US views. There was a
huge increase in foreign economic
involvement in Brazil, and half of the
country’s largest companies passed
into foreign ownership. Brazil
enjoyed high economic growth
under the dictatorship, but at the
expense of freedom, as opponents of
the regime were treated harshly.THE RED ARMY FACTION’S
TERRORIST ACTIVITY
(1970s)In 1968, many western countries
saw anti-capitalist and anti-
imperialist demonstrations, strikes,
and riots. These failed to produce
any change, however, and in the
aftermath, a number of groups
evolved to pursue an armed anti-
capitalist struggle. One of the most
long-lasting of these groups was
the Germany Red Army Faction,
founded in 1970 and also known
as the Baader-Meinhof group, after
two of its founders, Andreas Baader
and Ulrike Meinhof. The group
carried out a series of terrorist
attacks (including kidnappings,
bombings, robberies, and murders),
mostly in the 1970s but also in
later decades. Their activities—
and those of similar groups such
as the Revolutionary Cells (also
operating in Germany in the same
period)—alienated most people.PINOCHET SEIZES POWER
IN CHILE
(1973)In 1973, a military coup led by
General Augusto Pinochet deposed
Chile’s elected socialist leader
Salvador Allende, bringing Pinochet
to power at the head of a military
junta. The US opposed Allende’s
left-wing government and backed
the coup, because it considered its
support for right-wing dictatorships
in South America as part of its Cold
War struggle against communism:
socialist regimes were suppressed
even if they were completely
democratic. Pinochet, who was
notorious for imprisoning, killing,
and torturing his opponents,
continued to receive American
backing and ruled until 1990.THE SOVIET INVASION
OF AFGHANISTAN
(1979)In the late 1970s, Afghanistan’s
left-wing government (a close ally
of the Soviet Union) was threatened
by US-backed Muslim fighters, the
mujahideen, who objected to the
regime’s modernizing policies in
areas such as women’s education.
In 1979, the USSR invaded
Afghanistan, beginning a 10-year
war in which an estimated 1.5
million Afghans were killed and
many others left the country.
Groups of mujahideen guerrillas
fought the invaders, who withdrew
in 1989. The war left the USSR
militarily and politically weakened,
contributing to its collapse. A civil
war then broke out between the
mujahideen and the Afghan army,
and power eventually passed to
the hardline Islamic Taliban.THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION
(1979)Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah
of Iran, headed a secular regime
that westernized the country and
brought prosperity for some. In the
late 1970s, an increasingly strong
opposition movement gained
prominence, led by Islamic leaders
such as Ayatollah Khomeini, who
preached against the country’s
encroaching secular capitalism (as
well as against communism). In
1979, the Shah was forced to leave
the country, and Ayatollah Khomeini
installed a new government that
was focused on very strict Muslim
values. The revolution had a huge
impact, particularly in highlighting
the increasing prominence of Islam
on the world stage and in relations
between the countries of the west
and the Middle East.THE US AND BRITAIN
INVADE IRAQ
(2003)The 2003 invasion of Iraq started a
war that saw forces, mainly from
the US and Britain, deposing
the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein,
who oppressed his own people,
supported international terrorism,
and, according to the US and its
allies, possessed weapons of mass
destruction. Although the latter
claim proved to be unfounded,
the removal of Saddam Hussein
was nonetheless welcomed by
many Iraqis. However, the lack
of a post-war strategy brought
further instability and violence to
Iraq, and the war gave extremist
opponents of the US and their allies
a pretext for launching terrorist
attacks against them.US_340-341_CH6_Further_Events.indd 341 15/02/2016 16:46