How much better were the Soviet puppets than the

[Cheung Mo]

I've talked to people who claim to have been in Afghanistan, and they say that out of the Northern Alliance (a union of pro-American Islamist factions), the Taliban, and the Soviet puppets, the Taliban was the least bad.

But the post-Stalin Soviets have always seemed like pussy cats compared to any Islamist regime I'm familiar with.

[Darth Revan]

What is youre question man ?

[The Grey Blur]

Originally posted by the thread title - dumbass
How much better were the Soviet puppets than the
Islamists in Afghanistan?

[Tekun]

Under the Soviet friendly government, unpopular land reforms and the repression of political opponents took a significant toll on the popularity of the government throughout Afghanistan
To top if off, atheism created alot of conflict between hardline Muslims and the gov
Even female education, freedom of religion, and rural development couldn't help the communist PDPA in Afghanistan

However, during the war which put the Taliban in power
10,000 ppl were killed
Political persecution were widespread, and the repression of females was notorious
Not to mention the enforcement of Islamic law which worsened the lives of millions within the country

Even though the PDPA was fragmented and to a certain degree, acquiesced to the demands of the USSR, they evidence is as clear as day
Taliban was a hell of alot worse than the PDPA

[PRC-UTE]

I'm not being sarcastic, but what was wrong with the Soviet backed Afghan republic? I've never heard an actual reason they were bad.

Land and education reform that pisses of reactionaries must be good...?

maybe a comrade can enlighten me, I know fuck all about it.

[Severian]

Basically:

In the late 1960s workers' strikes and protests, student demonstrations, and actions defending women's rights occurred in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Peasants, facing the impact of a severe three-year drought and famine, began expressing their discontent.

Seeking to head off a mass upheaval, Muhammad Daud, the king's cousin and former prime minister, overthrew him and declared a republic. Daud named to his cabinet members of the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), a party of middle class radical intellectuals. Facing mounting actions by the oppressed and exploited in the country, Daud sought closer ties with the pro-imperialist regimes in Iran and Pakistan.

Revolutionary mobilizations spread
As revolutionary mobilizations spread in Iran, eventually leading to the overthrow of the shah, an April 1978 funeral procession in Kabul for a leader of the PDPA killed by police turned into a protest of 15,000 people, who marched on the U.S. embassy to protest complicity of the CIA and Iranian secret police in the murder. Other mass demonstrations followed. As dissatisfaction spread throughout the country, the PDPA, backed by its supporters in the army, overthrew Daud.

The PDPA, which had developed ties with Moscow, had no significant base among the peasants or the small number of wage workers. Initially its regime won popular support as it announced a program of social reforms, including land redistribution, a literacy campaign, construction of schools, and a ban on child marriage. The government released up to 13,000 political prisoners and burned police files. It proclaimed cultural and education rights for Turkomens, Uzbeks, Baluchis, Nuristanis, and other nationalities, enabling them to publish materials and produce radio programs for the first time in Afghan history.

Removed from the peasantry and the working class, however, the PDPA, with a guiding hand from the Kremlin, began carrying out these policies in a bureaucratic way, implementing them over the heads of working people, and providing an opening for reactionary landlord and capitalist layers to mobilize opposition. Instead of organizing and mobilizing the toilers, the Kabul government attempted to impose sweeping reforms by administrative decrees, and then force, when they were met by landlord-backed resistance. As backing for the regime dwindled, the Kremlin aimed to sustain a friendly capitalist government and used its influence to help maintain stability, spent millions of dollars, and sent increasing numbers of civilian and military personnel to shore up the regime.

Landlord-backed forces began waging an armed struggle and gained support as the Kabul government disintegrated. In December 1979 Moscow airlifted thousands of Soviet troops into Afghanistan and installed Babrak Karmal, who had been living in Czechoslovakia, as prime minister and president. The number of Soviet troops eventually reached 115,000. The action was another setback to the revolutionary struggle that opened in 1978, and to the class struggle in Iran and Pakistan.

U.S. rulers back assault on Soviet troops
Washington and its imperialist allies responded to Moscow's occupation of Afghanistan by providing hundreds of millions of dollars of direct aid and military equipment, including shoulder-fired Stinger antiaircraft missiles, to rightist groups. Other aid was channeled through Pakistan, which received $3 billion from the U.S. government between 1982 and 1986, and Saudi Arabia.

U.S. government officials had worked alongside Osama bin Laden "to help oust the Russians from Afghanistan," wrote New York Times reporter Judith Miller. According to a September 18 BBC News report, bin Laden "received training from the CIA itself." While in Afghanistan, he founded the Maktab al-Khidimat, "which recruited fighters from around the world."

By the time the Soviet troops pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989, an estimated 1 million people had been killed, and another 5 million had fled into exile. More than 3 million refugees went to Pakistan where the Pakistan, U.S. and other governments provided rightist forces with extensive bases and support.
from The Militant (http://www.themilitant.com/2001/6538/653858.html)

The PDPA government held out 'til 1992, when the mujahedeen took Kabul. Then the mujahedeen fought amongst themselves, shelling Kabul heavily. The Taliban arose in response to their chaos and banditry. But were even more repressive and medieval.