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• Afghanistan always had a close relationshiop with Soviet Union
  Many Afghans sent their children to USSR for education; these children would later start an Afghan communist party
• 1973 Mohammed Daoud Khan overthrew the monarchy and declared Afghanistan a republic, eventually making himself the President
• 1978 – Nur Muhammad Taraki becomes Afghanistan’s leader by overthrowing Mohammad Daoud Khan, supports communism
• The Afghan Communist Party was divided along ideological and ethnic lines. Taraki belonged to the Khalq division, and mostly Pashtun.
• The other division was called Parcham, mostly Tajiks and Uzbeks
• Taraki went on to purge the Parcham members from the government, via exile, imprisonment, and assassination
• Many rural Afghans resisted Taraki’s socialist reforms leading to open armed resistance
• Taraki sent in the military and killed thousands of farmers and peasants, burying them in mass graves
• Taraki’s defense minister was Hafizullah Amin, also head of the Afghan secret police. He was responsible for much of the brutality
• Eventually Taraki and Amin split and neither trusted the other
• Taraki tried to have Amin killed but the plot failed; then Amin had Taraki arrested and murdered.
• The peasant revolt grew even worse under Amin, who did not have the full support of the military or government or the people or the Soviets
• Taraki was the Soviet’s main guy; they were upset when Amin had him killed
• Hence, the Soviets orchestrated Amin’s assassination.