35 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
35 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
The **Herat Uprising** was an [uprising](List_of_Revolutions "wikilink")
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and [mutiny](List_of_Mutinies "wikilink") that took place in and around
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the city of Herat, [Afghanistan](Afghanistan "wikilink") in March
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[1979](Revolutions_of_1979_-_1980 "wikilink"). It was an uprising
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against the new [socialist
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government](Socialist_Afghanistan "wikilink"), and the rebels managed to
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seize the city for a week before it was taken back by the government.
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## Background
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The uprising was largely triggered around the anger of failed land
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reform, which saw many peasants become poorer. In addition, anger at the
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inclusion of communist propaganda as a part of literacy programs
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(justified) and the creation of schools that had mixed-gender classes
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(unjustified). As such, the uprising was a mixture of anger at
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authoritarianism, left-wing values and economic injustice.
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## Events
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The uprising began on the 15th of March, as people overwhelmed the
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police and attacked government buildings, the army was sent in and soon
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defected. The city held, but there was extensive looting and the killing
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of suspected communist sympathisers (particulary teachers) and Russians.
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The government disguised its soldiers as fellow rebels, and snuck into
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the city as it was bombed and attacked from the inside, with between
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3,000 and 25,000 being killed in the fighting. Ironically, one of the
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leaders of the uprising was a [Maoist](Maoism "wikilink").
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## Aftermath
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Although seemingly a minor event, this was one of the main factors
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behind the USSR intervening in Afghanistan, which permanently changed
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Afghanistan forever and arguably contributed to the fall of the USSR. In
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addition, [Iran](Iran "wikilink") was accused by some of being behind
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the uprising. |