Table of Contents
BACKGROUND
- With the support and assistance of minority political party People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), Mohammed Daoud Khan had taken power in the 1973 Afghan coup d’état by overthrowing the monarchy of King Zahir Shah, and had established the first Republic of Afghanistan.
- Under the secular government of Daoud, factionalism and rivalry developed in the PDPA, with two main factions being the Parcham and Khalq factions.
BACKGROUND
- On 17 April 1978, a prominent member of the Parcham, Mir Akbar Khyber, was murdered. PDPA leaders apparently feared that Daoud was planning to eliminate them.
- Hafizullah Amin, was put under house arrest. Amin, without having the authority, instructed the Khalqist army officers to overthrow the government.
REVOLUTION
- The coup started on 27th April and by evening, the state-owned radio announced that the Daoud government was overthrown by the Khalq faction.
- During the coup, soldiers had surrounded the palace of the president and had asked him to surrender. But Daoud Khan and his brother came out of the palace and fired at the soldiers. This led to them being shot and killed.
- In the early days of the new government, there was unity between the Parcham and the Khalq factions although this did not last long. The new president was Nur Muhammad Taraki of the Khalq group.
REVOLUTION
- However, in September 1979, Taraki himself was overthrown and executed by Amin. The PDPA in power implemented many changes in Afghan society.
- Many modern regulations were put in place replacing the old Islamic codes. Socialism was introduced. However, there were many haphazard regulations brought in that unsettled many. Land reforms were brought in that affected the peasants adversely.
- The PDPA was also an advocate for women’s rights. They made a public statement announcing that the ” Privileges which women , by right, must have are equal education, job security, and health services”.
REVOLUTION
- This only alienated the a large segment of the Afghan population who were still conservative in their beliefs. The PDPA despite having a strong urban support, lost popularity in the rural areas of Afghanistan.
- There was severe discontent among the people and this was manifest in many uprisings for the next two years. Finally, this political instability prompted the USSR to intervene, leading to the beginning of Soviet-Afghanistan War.
- The civil war that followed between insurgent groups (called Mujahideen) and the USSR and the PDPA lasted 9 years further dragging the country back in terms of development.
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