[9] [13], Karmal sought, unsuccessfully, to persuade the PDPA Central Committee to censure Taraki's excessive extreme radicalism. This article is of interest to … [61] In August 1982, Karmal alleged that the PDPA had 20,000 members within the military, and said that "the army party organization forms the greatest part of the PDPA". [50] With Taraki's ouster and execution in 1979, another member was removed. [57] Of the 10,000 mid-level cadres in the mid-1980s, 5,000 of them resided in Kabul. People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan Secretary General Babrak Karmal visits the USSR. © 2019 Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. [48], After the April 1978 PDPA coup d'état, President Taraki stated that the PDPA were nationalists and revolutionaries but not "Communists", and declared a commitment to Islam within a secular state. [2]. [22] The coup was also strategically planned for this date because it was the day before Friday, the Muslim day of worship, and most military commanders and government workers were off duty. ." [60] However, author Bruce Amstutz believes that PDPA membership probably stood at around 6,000 when Karmal took power. The Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan was a political party established on 1 January 1965. [44] Post-Najibullah interim leader Abdul Rahim Hatif agreed on 22 April 1992 for a rebel-led state. Nur Mohammad Taraki started his political career as an Afghan journalist. afghan marxist political party; also called democratic party of the people of afghanistan. Under the leadership of Mohammad Najibullah in 1990, the party's name was changed to Homeland Party (حزب وطن, Hezb-e Watan) and much of the party's communist symbols and policies were altered or removed. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. [55], From 1982 onwards, the PDPA experienced an organizational expansion into the countryside. Since the parties division in 1967 both sides had held contact with Soviet government. The Khalqist wing of the party was made up primarily of Pashtuns from non-elite classes. [62] Before the 1973 coup led by Mohammad Daoud Khan, the vast majority of members either had "graduates of junior colleges or colleges", with many of them either being students or working in the public sector. On 27 April 1978 the two factions of the PDPA united to stage a coup and take control of Afghanistan. Afghanistan's Political Parties and where they come from (1902–2006)", "Is misery Afghanistan's destiny? It officially came into being on New Year 's Day, 1965, at the home of Nur Mohammad Taraki. But, soon, a power struggle broke out within the party between the two factions—the Parcham, to which Najibullah belonged, and the Khalq. USSR. [42] The coup failed and Tanai was forced to flee the country. Inner collapse of the government started when Hekmatyar withdrew his support for the government. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, renamed the Republic of Afghanistan in 1987, existed from 1978 to 1992, during which time the socialist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) ruled Afghanistan. . Karmal was born in Kamari and educated at Kabul University. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"99cba6edd0dffebfda13ee8bc83235654fa7b986-1608512051-86400"}; As E. E. Schattschneider famously asserted more than half a century ago, "Modern…, Wladislaw Gomulka [44], In 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved. [52] During Taraki's rule, 10 members had held seats in the PDPA Politburo, this was reduced to seven by Amin (only four members from the Taraki period were retained under Amin), and it was increased back to nine by Karmal. [61] Earlier that year, in March, Soviet sources stated that the largest concentration of PDPA members were to be found in Kabul Polytechnic Institute (with an estimated 600 members) and at Kabul University (with an estimated 1,000 members). [61] The conference reported a growth of 21,700 members since August 1981. Afghanistan, Organization of the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan (Watan Party, … "People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan [14], The regime of President Daoud came to a violent end in the early morning hours of 28 April 1978, when military units from the Kabul military base loyal to the Khalq faction of the party stormed the Presidential Palace in Kabul. [61] From then until a party meeting in 1983, leading party officials claimed the party had between 63,000 and 70,000 members. [51], Throughout its existence, the body usually had between 7 and 9 members. People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Nigerian political party founded in August 1998 by members of numerous groups and organizations, including the groups known as G-18 and G-34. PDPA had about 100 000 members and established usual Marxist one-party dictatorship with financial and military support of USSR. What people are saying - Write a review. When the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan came to power in Afghanistan in the year 1978, Mohammad Najibullah was made the Afghan Ambassador to Iran. If you can improve it, please do; it may then be renominated. Between 1982 and 1992, the number of people recruited by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency to join the insurgency topped 100,000. He eventually became the leader of the Parcham faction when the PDPA split in 1967, with their ideological nemesis being the Khalq faction. He was one of the leading organizers of the Saur Revolution which overthrew the government of Mohammad Daoud Khan. Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. PDPA may also refer to, For the communist party founded in 2004, see, CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (. It was both ideologically close to and economically dependent on the Soviet Union, and was a major belligerent of the Afghan Civil War. [63], In 1997, Watan Party of Afghanistan was formed, which made attempts to register the old name of the PDPA, but the party was refused registration. [50] The Central Committee now contained 36 members. Hafizullah Amin, the second PDPA Afghan President, had seen his leftist beliefs strengthened during his studies in the United States in the late 1950s. [61] However, at the 1st PDPA Conference, Karmal claimed that the party had 62,820 ordinary and probationary members; this number was exaggerated. In 1978 and 1979, the PDPA began to institute a series of radical social reforms dealing with land tenure, education, and women's rights. He gave instructions to the Khalqi military officers through his family before being sent to jail on 26 April 1978. Bitter resentment between the Khalq and Parcham factions eventually led to the failure of the government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan that was formed as a result of the Saur Revolution in 1978. Later in March 1990 Defense Minister and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Shahnawaz Tanai tried to seize power in a military coup. Parcham was the name of one of the factions of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, formed in 1967 following its split. After the coup, the Loya jirga approved Daoud's new constitution, establishing a presidential one-party system of government in January 1977. [54] For instance, the party had the International Relations Commission, responsible for PDPA's relations with other parties, the Organization Commission, responsible for personnel appointments nationwide, [54] and the Defense and Judicial Commission, responsible for military policy. Taraki was Prime Minister, Babrak Karmal was senior Deputy Prime Minister, and Hafizullah Amin was foreign minister. [5] Twenty-seven men gathered at Taraki's house in Kabul, elected Taraki as the first party Secretary General and Karmal as Deputy Secretary General, and chose a five-member Central Committee (also called a Politburo). [56] Out of Afghanistan's fifty-five border districts, fifteen of them lacked a primary party organization (PPO), another nineteen had only one PPO in each district, and in the remaining twenty-one the party, while better organized, remained ineffective. [58] Another case, that of Nangrahar province (in which the government was in complete control) faced a similar problem; the party organization laying dormant. [51] As in the CPSU, the Politburo was the main executive and legislative body of the PDPA when the congress, conference nor the Central Committee were in session. It was also the name of the leftist newspaper produced by the same movement. Daoud was succeeded by Nur Muhammad Taraki as … On the 1 January 1965 Taraki with Babrak Karmal established the Democratic People's Party of Afghanistan, while at the beginning the party was running under the name People's Democratic Tendency, since there were no officially political party law in Afghanistan at that time. The revolution resulted in the creation of a government with Nur Muhammad Taraki as President, and was the precursor to the 1979 intervention by the Soviets and the 1979–1989 Soviet–Afghan War against the Mujahideen. Sultan Ali Keshtmand, sometimes transliterated Kishtmand, born May 22, 1935, in Kabul, was an Afghan politician. [50] Upon Babrak Karmal's ascension to power 25 members were either executed or purged on his orders (76 percent of the members). Most of Khalqs supporters came from ethnic Pashtuns from the rural areas in the country. [62] After the 1973 coup, the Khalqist began recruiting members amongst the Officers Corps, which was proven successful by the takeover of 1978. karmal, babrak; [20]. shortly after this, in 1965 a Soviet-backed socialist institution was formed called the Democratic Party of Afghanistan. [50] During Hafizullah Amin's short rule, September–December 1979, the Central Committee had at most 33 members, 12 of which were appointed by him. Afghanistan during the PDPA (People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan) [17] [24] Hafizullah Amin renamed the country to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA)., [14] and Qadir assumed the control of the country from 27–30 April 1978 as the Head of the Military Revolutionary Council. The Afghan Communist party, Ḥezb-e demōkrātÄ«k-e ḵalq-e Afḡānestān (People’s democratic party of Afghanistan, P.D.P.A.) In 1966 he published the first issue of Khalq, a party newspaper, but the government closed it down shortly afterward. If we take into account the meaning of the word “martyr” in some Islamic circles, that is a problematic statement. Only one politburos was formally elected; at the 1st Congress, despite this, the membership line-up was altered numerous times during the PDPA's existence. With a number of Afghan military officers supporting the Khalq faction of the PDPA wing, Hafizullah Amin stayed out of prison long enough to organize an uprising with the group. Indeed especially as Pakistan is a nuclear power and can not be invaded. amin, hafizullah; Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. : The story of Afghanistan's Saur Revolution", "The Splinter of Afghanistan's Communists", "Man in the News; A Tough Ox For Afghans: Najibullah", "Daoud's Republic, July 1973 - April 1978", "King Mohammed Zahir Shah and the Soviet Union", "World: Analysis Afghanistan: 20 years of bloodshed", "Women in Afghanistan: Pawns in men's power struggles", "The Sickle and the Minaret: Communist Successor Parties in Yemen and Afghanistan after the Cold War", https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-04-22-mn-524-story.html, "The Ghost of Najibullah: Hezb-e Watan announces (another) relaunch – Afghanistan Analysts Network". Mir Akbar Khyber was an Afghan left-wing intellectual and a leader of the Parcham faction of People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). Hafizullah Amin was an Afghan communist politician during the Cold War. However, the date of retrieval is often important. In March 1977, a formal agreement on unity was achieved, and in July the two factions held their first joint conclave in a decade. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. [52] The Politburo had one female member throughout its existence; Anahita Ratebzad. [52] In the immediate aftermath of the Saur Revolution, there was "almost an even balance" between the Khalqist and the Parchamites in the body, but Khalqist representation was continuously increased under they formed a majority under Amin. [57] Another daunting problem was that the central party leadership had little contact with lower-level organizations in the provinces or, in general, with the people. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). [33] [34] [35], Despite accusations and predictions by conservative elements, a year and a half after the coup no restrictions had been placed on religious practice. [62] The 1981–83 recruitment drive increased party membership; the majority of the new members worked either in state-owned enterprises, the military. Karmal then moved (or, allegedly, was exiled) to Moscow. The new government launched a campaign, mostly at Pul-e-Charkhi prison. After a few years in that occupation, he went to the United States to study. People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan . 20 Dec. 2020 . Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. He served as the acting leader of the country for three days when the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) took power and declared the foundation of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, before handing over power to PDPA leader Noor Mohammad Taraki. related. [53] Unlike the Soviet practices the PDPA did not publish the list of Politburo members according to rank, but rather by alphabetical order. [58] Another problem, in Faryab province the PDPA was inactive and the majority of the locals believed that Mohammad Daoud Khan, the president which the communists overthrew in 1978, was still ruling the country. He later became one of the founding members of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) and was elected as the party's general secretary at its first congress. There are allegations that they accepted financial and other forms of aid from the Soviet embassy and intelligence organs. Political Party The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) was officially formed at the unity congress of the different factions of the Socialist Party of Afghanistanon 1 … Although the split of the PDPA in 1967 into two groups was never publicly announced, Karmal brought with him less than half the members of the Central Committee. (December 20, 2020). [57] For instance, in the period 1982–83 the governor of Faryab province only visited the province during the winter months, since the mujahideen withdrew their troops from the area during those months. [62] After the Soviet intervention, the Soviets forced the PDPA to recruit more members; in 1981 the probationary period for a new member was reduced from one year to six months, and to join a person needed fewer party sponsors. The PDPA came to power through a revolution, which ousted the unpopular government of Mohammad Daoud Khan. The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) was formed in the period of constitutional reform in Afghanistan (1963–1973) during which parliamentary elections were held and political parties were allowed to organize. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. [58] To solve this problem, the PDPA sought to improve the cadres' education by enrolling them to educational institutions within the PDPA, public universities or giving them educational opportunities in the Eastern Bloc or the Soviet Union. Four members of the party won seats in that year's parliamentary elections, reduced to two seats in 1969, albeit both before parties were fully legal. [39], Moscow came to regard Karmal as a failure and blamed him for the problems. Historical Background", "Islamists, Leftists – and a Void in the Center. The PDPA led by Nur Muhammad Taraki established the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan which would last until 1987. After the coup of 27 April 1978 , the 1977 Constitution was abolished. The Revolutionary Council of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) ruled the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1978 until its collapse in 1992. Colonel General Abdul Kadir Dagarwal, was an Afghan politician, diplomat, and a military officer in the Afghan Air Force who participated in the coup d'état that created the Republic of Afghanistan under the President Dawood Khan, and later directed the Afghan Air Force and Army Air Corps squadrons that attacked the Radio-TV station during the Saur Revolution. was officially founded in 1344 Å ./1965, at a time when political parties were illegal in Afghanistan. [52] There is one exception however, and it was published in the book Handbook for Party Activists of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (published after the 6th Plenary Session of the 1st Central Committee in June 1981). From inside the book . THE CONSTITUTION OF THE PEOPLE`S DEMOCRATIC PARTY. [63] In April 1981, 25–30 percent of members were "workers, farmers, soldiers, and other toilers"; this increased to 38 percent (both ordinary and probationary members) in 1982 and in 1983, according to Karmal, 28.4 were ordinary members. Communist party, in Russia and the Soviet Union, political party that until 1991 exercised all effective power within the Soviet Union, and, as the o…, Imre Nagy (1896-1958), Hungarian politician, served as prime minister of Hungary between 1953 and 1955, then again in 1956 during the revolution. A Soviet-style national flag replaced the traditional black, red, and green. When the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) was formed, Karmal became one of its leading members, having been introduced to Marxism by Mir Akbar Khyber during his imprisonment for activities deemed too radical by the government. [21] Shortly after a massive protest against the government during the funeral ceremonies of Khaibar, most of the leaders of PDPA were arrested by the government. All support for the Republic of Afghanistan stopped. While a minority, the party helped former prime minister of Afghanistan, Mohammed Daoud Khan, to overthrow King Mohammed Zahir Shah in 1973, and establish the Republic of Afghanistan. Archives. On 1 January 1965, Taraki with Babrak Karmal [3] established the Democratic People's Party of Afghanistan, while at the beginning the party was running under the name People's Democratic Tendency, since at the time secularist and anti-monarchist parties were illegal. parcham. The Economist (London), 11 September 1979, p.44. Years later, when Karmal's inability to consolidate his government had become obvious, Mikhail Gorbachev, then General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, said: [40]. He was born in Ghazni Province. The council was the supreme state power under the communist regime and was a carbon copy of the Supreme Soviet in the Soviet Union. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. These roles included: doctors, nurses, and teachers. The following lists events that happened during 1979 in Afghanistan. From August 29 to September 11, 1969 Afghanistan held its second free parliamentary election since the introduction of the constitution in 1964, with 2,030 candidates standing for the 216 seats of the House of the People and for one-third of the House of Elders. People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan The Democ…, People With Disabilities, Federal Programs To Assist, People v. Croswell 3 Johnson's Cases (N.Y.) 336 (1804), People of the Book (Ahl Al-Kitab, in Arabic), People Hold Signs in Favor of the Equal Rights Amendment, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD). The Parchams supporters mostly came from urban citizens who supported social-economic reforms in the country. Taraki led the Khalq wing of the PDPA. The republic lasted until 1992 after mujahideen rebels took over; the PDPA dissolved, with some officials joining the new government, some joining militias, and others deserting. In April 1992, the PDPA regime in Afghanistan collapsed after the sudden change of allegiance of Afghan General Abdul Rashid Dostum following President Najibullah's resignation. [62] However, in the aftermath of the coup, membership decreased notably (probably because of the increasing authoritarian policies of the government). Amin was born in Paghman and educated at Kabul University, after which he started his career as a teacher. [50], The Politburo and Secretariat were elected by a plenum of the Central Committee, exactly as how it was done within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). The point with the council was to convene on a semiannual basis to approve decisions made by the presidium. The list of acronyms and abbreviations related to PDPA - Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Anahita Ratebzad was an Afghan socialist and Marxist politician and a member of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) and the Revolutionary Council under the leadership of Babrak Karmal. His second term took place during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. He ran as a candidate in the 1965 parliamentary election but failed to secure a seat. Taraki was the first secretary-general of the party's central committee, and Babrak Karmal was its first deputy secretary-general. [36], In the 1979 Soviet Operation Storm-333, the Soviet special force Spetnaz stormed the Tajbeg Palace and killed President Hafizullah Amin. ." The first signs of a rebellion appeared on July 20, 1978 in the far eastern provinces of Nuristan and Kunar. [62] In 1983, Karmal claimed that party membership had grown 35 percent to 90,000, the following year it had allegedly grown 33 percent to 120,000 members. [58] Despite all this, the main problem facing the party was the unsafe conditions facing party members serving in the countryside; for instance, when the Ghazni Provincial Committee convened for a meeting the participants had to wait for three months to get home (waiting for an armoured column and a helicopter). Taraki and Babrak Karmal (the third PDPA Afghan President) had been frequent contacts of the Soviet Embassy in Afghanistan from the late 1950s. Traditional practices that were deemed feudal – such as usury, bride price and forced marriage – were banned, and the minimum age of marriage was raised. [25], The divided PDPA succeeded the Daoud regime with a new government under the leadership of Nur Muhammad Taraki of the Khalq faction. Additionally, some Afghan soldiers who had fought for the socialist government began to defect or leave the army. [12] These new divisions started because of ideological and economic reasons. It ruled Afghanistan until 1992, when its last president, Najibullah, resigned and Kabul was taken over by Islamic rebels. Two other durable Afghan Marxist-Leninist groups were active in the same general period. [49], In the period April 1978 – September 1979 the Central Committee contained 38 individuals, of these, 12 were either purged, imprisoned or executed on the orders of Taraki after the Saur Revolution. These reforms, coupled with the PDPA's strong antireligious and anticlerical position, proved too progressive for Afghans accustomed to the traditional social system, and by 1979 the Islamic opposition had begun to mount an aggressive guerrilla war against the government. While a minority, the party helped former prime minister of Afghanistan, Mohammed Daoud Khan, to overthrow his cousin, Mohammed Zahir Shah, and established the Republic of Afghanistan. [46] The secret party constitution of 1965 called for "expanding and strengthening Afghan-Soviet friendly relations". Encyclopedia.com. 273 likes. [30] [31] [32] Most of the government's new policies clashed directly with the traditional Afghan understanding of Islam, making religion one of the only forces capable of unifying the tribally and ethnically divided population against the unpopular new government, and ushering in the advent of Islamist participation in Afghan politics. The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) (Persian: حزب دموکراتيک خلق افغانستان ‎‎, Hezb-e dimÅ«krātÄ©k-e khalq-e Afghānistān, Pashto: د افغانستان د خلق دموکراټیک ګوند ‎, Da Afghanistān da khalq dimukrātÄ«k gund) was a socialist party established on 1 January 1965. [56] For instance, in 1982 there existed 144 district and sub-district party committees, by mid-1984 it had increased to 205. [57] Concurrently, a threefold increase in visits by central party personnel to the provinces occurred, in another bid to strengthen the party's contact with the PDPA's lower-level and non-members alike. [46] In a 1978 party pamphlet, the PDPA described itself as "vanguard of the working class" and President Taraki as "experienced Marxist–Leninist". [15] After Daoud had seized power, he established Daoud's Republic of Afghanistan. Stephen Gowans Afghanistan, Communism, People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Saur Revolution, Taliban, Women's Rights 9 Comments August 9, 2010 May 11, 2011 11 Minutes. Panjsheri was usually identified as a Khalq by fellow Afghan politicians, while outside observers said he was creating his own PDPA group under the name Gruhi Kar. These new reforms were not well received by the majority of the Afghan population, particularly in rural areas; many Afghans saw them as un-Islamic and as a forced approach to Western culture in Afghan society. Emblem of the Democratic Youth Organisation of Afghanistan.svg 233 × 252; 36 KB The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was the government of Afghanistan between 1978 and 1992 recognised by 8 countries. [50] He reinstated 14 members (including himself), who had been purged by either Taraki or Amin, appointed 15 newcomers and retained 7 Amin appointees. The vote, however, was close, and Taraki in turn tried to neutralize Karmal by appointing new members to the committee who were his own supporters. [41]. PDPA stands for People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (also Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer and 25 more ) What is the abbreviation for People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan? "People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan [63] The main problem was that most of these new recruits were "functional illiterate", which in reality led to an overall decline in the quality of party members. His successor as president was Haji Mohammad Chamkani. There are suggestions on the review page for improving the article. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/peoples-democratic-party-afghanistan, "People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan