How popular were the PDPA in Afghanistan?

[Rafiq]

I heard the majority of people opposed them, is this true?

Wikipedia also goes further to claim that their attempt to implement socialism fucked up the economy.

Thoughts?

[Commissar Rykov]

The problem with Afghanistan is it is a nation with a plethora of tribes that have never really got along so well. So measuring the support of any political party in Afghanistan during any era is relatively pointless as they typically don't have much power outside of major cities while local tribesmen continue to exercise control in the more rural parts of the nation.

[gorillafuck]

they were popular in cities, not popular in the countryside.

[Rafiq]

Source?

[Sword and Shield]

At the time, as Zeekloid said, they were more popular in the more educated cities but less popular in the fundamentalist rural areas. Dr. Najibullah, the last PDPA leader of Afghanistan, while having a mixture of support and opposition when he was alive, now has overwhelming approval, as people have now witnessed what muslim fundamentalism and neoliberalism in turn have done to their country.

[khad]

Nationally, more popular than any other political group, even in the countryside.

Ethnic and clan affiliations are strictly limited to the regional, whereas the PDPA could count on some support in every corner of the country, so in overall aggregate supporters, the PDPA had greater support than any other group. In cities like Kabul, the support was overwhelming. Najibullah's writings are still bestsellers today.

[Rafiq]

Interesting, seeing the US invasion at all, the media has failed to cover any slight amount of support for the reincarnation of the democratic people's republic of afghanistan among Afghanis..

I mean, if I was Afghani, I'd probably, if only given the two options, support that over the corrupt child molesting Karzai bullshit regime. Fuck that shit man.

[Sword and Shield]

whereas the PDPA could count on some support in every corner of the country, so in overall aggregate supporters, the PDPA had greater support than any other group.

Yes it was truly an accomplishment how much they transcended the tribalism in Afghanistan.

[Commissar Rykov]

Yes it was truly an accomplishment how much they transcended the tribalism in Afghanistan.

Exactly, the PDPA was able to accomplish something no one else had up to that point and even beyond. It really shows how little the promoters of Capital care about other human beings. If they can get pederasts in power to maintain a nice monopoly over heroin production then they will.

[khad]

Interesting, seeing the US invasion at all, the media has failed to cover any slight amount of support for the reincarnation of the democratic people's republic of afghanistan among Afghanis..

I mean, if I was Afghani, I'd probably, if only given the two options, support that over the corrupt child molesting Karzai bullshit regime. Fuck that shit man.
There's still some memory of the PDPA days. A number of former PDPA officials are still well respected among the people today, though I don't know how socialism isn't going to be implemented any time soon without the socialist world pitching in to rebuild Afghanistan--it seems that no matter what happens, they're going to be dominated by the US and/or Pakistan.

General Ulumi who was a PDPA army commander in Kandahar during the war with the mujahideen actually received the second highest number of votes in the provincial governor election of 2005. The winner was Wali Karzai, the president's drug baron brother. I'd have to be completely stupid to believe that they weren't vote rigging out the ass for that one.

[Rafiq]

Sad really, we could imagine how different things would be if the USSR was still around, as a matter of fact, I doubt the US would be in Iraq or Afghanistan, if this was the case.

[Revolutionair]

The US was already in Afghanistan during the USSR.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/BRZ110A.html

Unless you mean the difference between the CIA intervention and full force military intervention.

[Rafiq]

^ Yeah, that's what I mean.

[Marxach-Léinínach]

What about the Soviet army, I mean wikipedia says that they killed about 2 million Afghans and that they were despised countrywide. Obviously I'm not gonna trust wikipedia too much, anyone have more accurate information?

[CHEtheLIBERATOR]

They were formed by the soviets so they were naturally corrupt and weren't real socialism. They were mainly opposed because of the long held culture of the afghans

[Sword and Shield]

They were formed by the soviets so they were naturally corrupt and weren't real socialism. They were mainly opposed because of the long held culture of the afghans

Oh great. The 12 year old found this thread.

[Commissar Rykov]

They were formed by the soviets so they were naturally corrupt and weren't real socialism. They were mainly opposed because of the long held culture of the afghans

So everything the USSR touched was corrupt? Wouldn't that make the majority of parties therefore corrupt by your standard? That seems silly then again you label yourself a Trotskyite and have a Che avatar so I imagine confusion is one of your many problems.

[Rafiq]

Indeed. Che was a hardcore MarxistLeninist, from what I hear, and he was 'touched' by the USSR as well, despite his few negative remarks about them.

[Obs]

naturally corrupt
I will take a fucking nail clipper and use it to sever one of my testicles, then mail it directly to your house if you manage to explain exactly what you mean with this particular phrase, and then how it applies to the PDPA. I have a nagging suspicion that I'll remain fully fertile for quite some time.