The Development of Left-Wing Political Thought and Organisation in Afghanistan
The Development of Left-Wing Political Thought and Organisation in Afghanistan

Summary/Abstract: Communist rule in Afghanistan (or rule underpinned by some tenets of communist thought) ran from 1978 to 1992, when the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) was the party of government. One of the many outcomes of the Saur Revolution of April 7th 1978 was the belief that organized leftist, socialist and communist political parties were initially formed through grassroots political organization that took place on the university campuses in the major cities during the 1960s. However, with the involvement of Afghans in the Baku Congress of the Peoples of the Eastand the formation of underground parties in the 1950s there is evidence to suggest that the antecedents of left-wing thought in Afghanistan go much further than the foundation of the PDPA in 1965. This paper will aim to explore the history of left-wing political thought in Afghanistan and will attempt to provide an overview of the long-history of class division and political organisation.The paper will look at how leftist thought developed before, during and after the PDPA regime and will conclude by providing a sketch of the current situation of left-wing political thought and organisation that can be seen in Afghanistan today.

• Details
• Contents