• Topic 3: The Rise and Rule of Single-Party States

NAME AND AUTHOR OF THE PACKET READING: ______Third Time Lucky In Afghanistan: Crozier Chapter 31______

Major Theme: Origins and Nature of Authoritarian and Single-Party States

Conditions That Produced Single-Party States • The coup that overthrew the Shah dynasty in Afghanistan created a power vacuum that seemed inviting to the soviets. • On April 27, 1978, tanks were deployed and the presidential palace was stormed. President Daud and his family were shot Emergence of Leaders: Aims, Ideology, Support • The People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan split into two factions, the Parcham and the Khalq. The Parcham were led by Babrak Karmal and the Khalq were led by Mohammed Taraki • Mohammed Daud overthrew the King of Afghanistan, Zahir Shah, in a coup in July 1973. • Mohammed Daud came to power after overthrowing the Shah of Afghanistan. He was initially pro-Moscow and got rid of all PDPA members in the government. His inability to crush the rising threat of the PDPA eventually doomed him. • Colonel Abdul Khadir was promoted to brigadier general until he was charged for treason for no reason and disappeared Totalitarianism: the Aim and the Extent to Which it was Achieved • The soviet KGB claimed that they took no part in the Daud coup in April 1978. • The soviets intervened in clashes near the Pakistani border and some army soldiers even defected to the tribes. • The Politboro decided unanimously to restrain the use of force at all costs. Historiography • Crozier mentions that the rumors and presence of a counter- coup was part of a pattern in communist history. “the Afghan revolution began to devour its own children”

Major Theme: Establishment of Authoritarian and Single-Party States Methods: Force • In an effort to overthrow the anti-communist government in April 1978 Moscow sent tanks and military advisors to Afghanistan to seize power and destroy Daud. • When Taraki returned from Moscow to Kabul he was shot at and Amin took over as dictator. • The soviets came up with a series of schemes and plots to take Amin out of power, some of which involved assassination. Methods: Legal • Form of Government, (Left & Right Wing) Ideology • In 1965 the equivalent of a Communist Party had been created. The People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) was formed. By 1978 about 400 officers were being trained in Moscow. Nature, extent and Treatment of Opposition • The Khalq spread a rumor that the Parcham were pro Chinese in a smear campaign. • In February 1978 Daud jailed all leaders of the PDPA in an Anti- Communist Purge. • Akhbar Khybar, a leader of the Parcham faction, was assassinated, which spurred pro-communist demonstrations. • After the Soviets signed a treaty of friendship, anti establishment sentiments on the part of Islamic people and Afghan tribes increased. • Taraki began a major campaign against Islam in Afghanistan, which was a risky move in the intensely Islamic country. • In the time period during which Taraki was trying to suppress Islam, the anti-communist National Liberation Front was formed. This started clashes near the Pakistani border. • Soviet archives show that the top soviet leaders did not want to use military force to intervene, they planned on using only political willpower to change the tides. Historiography • Crozier adds in his own judgement about the gravity of the Soviet failures, saying that “In retrospect the invasion of Afghanistan must rank as the worst blunder made by the Soviets in their drive to expand their empire”

Major Theme: Domestic Policies and Impact

Structure and Organization of Government and Administration • When the Soviets were becoming involved in Afghanistan they were forced to decide between the leaders of the Parcham and Khalq factions. The soviets called Taraki, the leader of the Khalq communists, “stubborn, intolerant, irascible and shallow.” They then praised Karmal as pro-Soviet and ready to listen to device. • In the end the KGB endorsed Karmal and the Parcham faction but the Soviets overruled them and opted for Taraki. Political Policies The Soviet Union and Afghanistan signed a treaty of friendship between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan on December 5, 1978. Taraki was pressured to broaden his government to include minority leaders in order to have their input, he did not comply.

Economic Policies • The soviets decided that they could aid Afghanistan in monetary terms but not in military terms. Social Policies Religious Policies Role of Education Role of the Arts Role of Media, Propaganda Status of Women Treatment of Religious Groups and Minorities Historiography