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The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) was founded on January 1, 1965, by Nur Muhammad Taraki and Hafizullah Amin.
Answer: False
Explanation: The PDPA was founded by Nur Muhammad Taraki and Babrak Karmal. At the founding congress, Taraki was elected Secretary General and Karmal was chosen as Deputy Secretary General.
The PDPA publicly presented itself as a 'national democratic' party, while its secret constitution defined its ideology as Marxism-Leninism.
Answer: True
Explanation: The PDPA's secret constitution, adopted in 1965, defined its ideology as 'the practical experience of Marxism–Leninism,' but the party publicly used more moderate terms like 'national democratic' to describe its platform.
The newspaper 'The Khalq', established by Nur Muhammad Taraki, was the first radical newspaper in Afghan history and was eventually shut down by the government in 1966.
Answer: True
Explanation: Established by Nur Muhammad Taraki, 'The Khalq' was the first radical newspaper in Afghan history and was forced to stop publication by the government in 1966.
The PDPA was formed during a period of political repression where no free elections were permitted.
Answer: False
Explanation: The PDPA was formed during a period of limited political liberalization in Afghanistan that included the first free elections in the country's history, allowing some PDPA members to win seats in parliament.
The PDPA's party emblem featured symbols of industrial workers (a gear) and agricultural laborers (wheat), common in communist heraldry.
Answer: True
Explanation: The PDPA emblem featured a gear representing industrial workers and stalks of wheat representing agricultural laborers, which are common symbols in communist heraldry.
At its founding congress, Nur Muhammad Taraki was elected as the first party Secretary General and Babrak Karmal as Deputy Secretary General.
Answer: True
Explanation: At the founding congress of the PDPA on January 1, 1965, Nur Muhammad Taraki was elected as the first party Secretary General, and Babrak Karmal was chosen as the Deputy Secretary General.
What were the two main factions of the PDPA that split in 1967?
Answer: The Khalq and the Parcham
Explanation: The PDPA split into two main factions in 1967: the Khalq (meaning 'Masses'), led by Nur Muhammad Taraki, and the Parcham (meaning 'Banner'), led by Babrak Karmal.
Who were the two founders of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan in 1965?
Answer: Nur Muhammad Taraki and Babrak Karmal
Explanation: The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) was founded by Nur Muhammad Taraki and Babrak Karmal at a congress held in Taraki's house on January 1, 1965.
The Parcham faction of the PDPA, led by Babrak Karmal, primarily drew its support from which demographic?
Answer: Urban citizens who favored social-economic reforms
Explanation: The Parcham faction, led by Babrak Karmal, drew its support base mainly from urban citizens who favored social-economic reforms, contrasting with the Khalq's rural Pashtun base.
What was the name of the newspaper established by Nur Muhammad Taraki, considered the first radical newspaper in Afghan history?
Answer: The Khalq
Explanation: The newspaper 'The Khalq', established by Nur Muhammad Taraki, was the first radical newspaper in Afghan history and served as an organ for the Khalq faction of the PDPA.
What was the main ideological difference between the Khalq and Parcham factions?
Answer: Khalq was rigidly militant, while Parcham favored a more moderate, 'common front' approach.
Explanation: The Khalqists adhered to a rigid, militant interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, whereas the Parchamis favored a more moderate approach, seeking to build a 'common front' with other left-wing groups.
The PDPA seized power in the 1978 Saur Revolution, which was triggered by the assassination of prominent Parcham member Mir Akbar Khyber.
Answer: True
Explanation: The catalyst for the Saur Revolution was the assassination of Mir Akbar Khyber, which PDPA members blamed on President Daoud Khan's government, leading them to organize a coup.
The PDPA initially came to power by winning a majority in the 1973 parliamentary elections.
Answer: False
Explanation: The PDPA seized power through the Saur Revolution in 1978, a military coup d'état, not by winning an election. While it had some electoral success in the 1960s, it never won a majority.
The relationship between the PDPA and Mohammad Daoud Khan remained a stable and collaborative alliance from 1973 until the Soviet invasion in 1979.
Answer: False
Explanation: The relationship was initially collaborative but deteriorated into hostility, culminating in the 1978 Saur Revolution, where the PDPA overthrew and killed Daoud Khan, a year before the Soviet invasion.
Hafizullah Amin organized the Saur Revolution coup after he and all other PDPA leaders had already been imprisoned.
Answer: False
Explanation: Hafizullah Amin organized the coup after most PDPA leaders were arrested, but his own imprisonment was delayed, which gave him the opportunity to give the final instructions for the uprising.
What event served as the direct catalyst for the Saur Revolution in 1978?
Answer: The assassination of Mir Akbar Khyber
Explanation: The catalyst for the 1978 Saur Revolution was the assassination of Mir Akbar Khyber, a prominent Parcham member, which PDPA members blamed on President Mohammad Daoud Khan's government.
What was the relationship between the PDPA and Mohammad Daoud Khan in 1973?
Answer: The PDPA assisted Daoud Khan in overthrowing the monarchy.
Explanation: In 1973, the PDPA acted as a minority party and assisted former Prime Minister Mohammad Daoud Khan in overthrowing King Mohammad Zahir Shah to establish the Republic of Afghanistan.
The social and economic reforms introduced by the PDPA after 1978, such as land reform and women's emancipation, were universally welcomed by the Afghan population.
Answer: False
Explanation: The PDPA's reforms were not well received by the majority of the Afghan population, especially in rural areas, where they were viewed as un-Islamic and an imposition of Western culture, leading to widespread opposition.
During the Khalqist rule from 1978-1979, an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people disappeared.
Answer: True
Explanation: Political scientist Olivier Roy estimated that between 50,000 and 100,000 people disappeared during the brutal campaign of repression that characterized the Khalqist rule of 1978–1979.
One of the PDPA's key reforms was the separation of mosque and state and the abolition of Sharia Law.
Answer: True
Explanation: After seizing power, the PDPA government embarked on a program of rapid modernization that included the separation of mosque and state and the abolition of Sharia Law.
How did the majority of the Afghan population, particularly in rural areas, react to the PDPA's social reforms?
Answer: They viewed the reforms as un-Islamic and an imposition of Western culture.
Explanation: The PDPA's reforms were not well received by the majority of the Afghan population, especially in rural areas, where many viewed them as un-Islamic and a forced imposition of Western culture, leading to widespread opposition.
Which leader's brief rule (Sept-Dec 1979) was marked by extreme repression and the execution of up to 27,000 people at Pul-e-Charkhi prison?
Answer: Hafizullah Amin
Explanation: The period of Khalqist rule under Hafizullah Amin (September-December 1979) was characterized by a brutal campaign of repression, with estimates suggesting as many as 27,000 people were executed at Pul-e-Charkhi prison alone.
Which of the following was NOT a social reform implemented by the PDPA after the Saur Revolution?
Answer: The mandatory establishment of a monarchy in each province
Explanation: The PDPA's reforms included the abolition of Sharia Law, banning forced marriage, and an illiteracy campaign. As a Marxist-Leninist party that had just overthrown a republic, it did not seek to establish monarchies.
Operation Storm-333 was a military operation led by Hafizullah Amin to consolidate the power of the Khalq faction against the Parchamis.
Answer: False
Explanation: Operation Storm-333 was a palace coup launched by Soviet Spetsnaz special forces, during which they killed the Khalqist leader Hafizullah Amin and installed the Parcham leader, Babrak Karmal, as the new head of the PDPA.
The Soviet Union's role in the PDPA's history was limited to providing financial aid after the Saur Revolution.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Soviet Union played a pivotal role, including educating future leaders, mediating factional disputes, invading in 1979 to install a new leader, and providing billions in military and financial aid until 1991.
After the Soviet invasion, the Parcham-led government justified its rule by claiming it was advancing an immediate 'socialist revolution.'
Answer: False
Explanation: The Parchamite-led government claimed it was facilitating the 'national-democratic stage' of Marxist transformation, a more moderate framing than the immediate 'socialist revolution' advanced by the preceding Khalqist government.
The Soviet Union removed Babrak Karmal from power because he was perceived as a failure who could not achieve national consolidation.
Answer: True
Explanation: Moscow grew to see Babrak Karmal as a failure due to his inability to consolidate the government, leading to his replacement by Mohammad Najibullah in 1986.
Why was Babrak Karmal eventually replaced as party general secretary by Mohammad Najibullah?
Answer: Moscow viewed him as a failure for not consolidating the government.
Explanation: Moscow grew to see Babrak Karmal as a failure, blaming him for the inability to consolidate the government and achieve national consolidation, which led to his replacement by Mohammad Najibullah in 1986.
What was the ideological justification used by the Parcham-led government after the 1979 Soviet intervention?
Answer: They were facilitating the 'national-democratic stage' of Marxist transformation.
Explanation: The Parchamite-led PDPA claimed its government was facilitating the 'national-democratic stage' of Marxist transformation, a more moderate framing than the 'socialist revolution' claimed by the preceding Khalqist government.
How did Hafizullah Amin's rule come to an end in December 1979?
Answer: He was killed by Soviet special forces during Operation Storm-333.
Explanation: Hafizullah Amin's rule ended in December 1979 when he was killed by Soviet Spetsnaz special forces during Operation Storm-333, a palace coup that marked the beginning of the Soviet-Afghan War.
Under Mohammad Najibullah's 'National Reconciliation' policy, the PDPA was renamed the Homeland Party and abandoned its Marxist-Leninist ideology.
Answer: True
Explanation: As part of the 'National Reconciliation' policy, the PDPA was renamed the Homeland Party (Hezb-e Watan) in June 1990 and officially dropped its Marxist-Leninist ideology in a move towards Afghan nationalism and democratic socialism.
The PDPA regime collapsed primarily due to internal factional fighting, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union playing only a minor role.
Answer: False
Explanation: The collapse of the PDPA regime was precipitated by the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, which ended all military and financial support for the government.
The final collapse of the PDPA government in 1992 was triggered by the defection of General Abdul Rashid Dostum to the mujahideen.
Answer: True
Explanation: The final blow to the PDPA regime came in April 1992 when General Abdul Rashid Dostum, a powerful militia commander, switched his allegiance from the government to the mujahideen rebels.
The failed 1990 coup by Shahnawaz Tanai, a Parchamite, was an attempt to restore Babrak Karmal to power.
Answer: False
Explanation: The failed 1990 military coup was led by Defense Minister Shahnawaz Tanai, a hardline Khalqist, in an attempt to seize power from President Najibullah.
After its dissolution in 1992, no attempts were ever made to revive the PDPA or its successor parties.
Answer: False
Explanation: After the PDPA was dissolved, several attempts were made to revive its legacy, including the formation of the Watan Party of Afghanistan in 1997 and the National United Party of Afghanistan in 2003.
Under Mohammad Najibullah's 'National Reconciliation' policy, the PDPA was rebranded and its ideology officially changed to what?
Answer: Afghan nationalism and democratic socialism
Explanation: As part of the 'National Reconciliation' policy, the PDPA was renamed the Homeland Party and officially dropped its Marxist-Leninist ideology in favor of Afghan nationalism and democratic socialism.
The failed 1990 military coup led by Defense Minister Shahnawaz Tanai represented an attempt to seize power by which group?
Answer: Hardline Khalqists
Explanation: The failed military coup attempt in March 1990 was led by Defense Minister Shahnawaz Tanai, a hardline Khalqist, in an attempt to seize power from President Najibullah.
What was the 'Homeland Party' (Hezb-e Watan)?
Answer: The new name the PDPA adopted in 1990 under Najibullah
Explanation: The Homeland Party (Hezb-e Watan) was the new name adopted by the PDPA in June 1990 under Mohammad Najibullah as part of his National Reconciliation policy.
What was the primary impact of the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991 on the PDPA government?
Answer: It caused the end of all military and financial support, precipitating the regime's collapse.
Explanation: The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 ended all military and financial support to the PDPA government, which was a primary cause of the regime's subsequent collapse.
What happened to the PDPA after the mujahideen took control of Kabul in 1992?
Answer: It was officially banned on May 6, 1992.
Explanation: After the mujahideen took control of Kabul and the interim leader agreed to a rebel-led state, the PDPA was officially banned on May 6, 1992.
The PDPA's membership grew significantly under Babrak Karmal, but the quality of new recruits was often poor, with many being described as opportunists.
Answer: True
Explanation: Under Babrak Karmal, recruitment drives increased PDPA membership, but this rapid growth came at the cost of quality, as many new recruits were described as opportunists and 'functionally illiterate,' lowering party discipline.
The PDPA successfully established strong, well-connected party organizations in the thousands of small villages across Afghanistan.
Answer: False
Explanation: The PDPA faced significant challenges in organizing outside of Kabul and was not well-established in the thousands of small villages across Afghanistan, with central leadership having little contact with provincial organizations.
Anahita Ratebzad was the only woman to ever hold a seat on the PDPA Politburo.
Answer: True
Explanation: The provided source material identifies Anahita Ratebzad as the only female member to hold a seat in the PDPA Politburo throughout its existence.
The PDPA's Central Committee remained stable throughout the party's rule, with very few changes in its membership.
Answer: False
Explanation: The PDPA's Central Committee was highly unstable and subject to frequent and brutal purges, with a significant percentage of its members being executed or removed with each change in party leadership.
The Democratic Women's Organisation of Afghanistan was an independent group that often criticized the PDPA's policies on women.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Democratic Women's Organisation of Afghanistan was the official women's wing of the PDPA, created to promote its policies and mobilize women in support of the regime.
The PDPA's initial membership at the time of the 1978 coup was over 100,000 members.
Answer: False
Explanation: At the time of the 1978 coup, the PDPA had a relatively small membership, estimated to be between 5,000 and 7,000 members.
According to the source, who was the only female member of the PDPA Politburo?
Answer: Anahita Ratebzad
Explanation: The provided text states that Anahita Ratebzad was the only female member to hold a seat in the PDPA Politburo throughout its existence.
The PDPA's central leadership structure, including a Central Committee and Politburo, was modeled after that of which political party?
Answer: The Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Explanation: The PDPA's central leadership, with its Central Committee, Politburo, and Secretariat, was modeled after the organizational structure of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
What was a major challenge the PDPA faced in organizing at the provincial level?
Answer: The party was not well-established in villages and cadres were based in Kabul.
Explanation: A major challenge was that the PDPA was not well-established in Afghanistan's thousands of small villages, and a majority of its mid-level cadres resided in Kabul rather than the provinces they were responsible for.
What was the primary reason for the rapid increase in PDPA membership under Babrak Karmal?
Answer: Concerted recruitment drives in government institutions and the military
Explanation: Under Babrak Karmal, PDPA membership increased significantly due to concerted recruitment drives in government institutions and the military, though the quality of new recruits was often low.
Which body within the PDPA was the main executive and legislative body, elected by the Central Committee?
Answer: The Politburo
Explanation: Modeled after the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the PDPA's main executive and legislative body was the Politburo, which was elected by the Central Committee.
How did the PDPA's Central Committee change immediately after Babrak Karmal came to power?
Answer: 25 of its 33 members (76%) were executed or purged.
Explanation: Upon Babrak Karmal's rise to power, the Central Committee underwent a massive purge, with 25 of the 33 members from Hafizullah Amin's brief rule (76%) being executed or purged.