The Saur Revolution, also known as the April Revolution or the April Coup, was a violent coup d'état and uprising staged on 27 and 28 April 1978 by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), which overthrew Afghan president Mohammad Daoud Khan, who had himself taken power in the 1973 Afghan coup d'état and…
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Why it matteredThis uprising installed a communist government in Afghanistan, triggering a series of internal conflicts and a long-running military intervention by the Soviet Union.
Quick facts
- Date27–28 April 1978
- LocationKabul, Afghanistan
- Carried out byPeople's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA)
- OverthrownPresident Mohammad Daoud Khan
- New leaderNur Muhammad Taraki
- OutcomeDemocratic Republic of Afghanistan founded
- Led toSoviet–Afghan War (1979–1989)
Editor's Take:
The Saur Revolution is where Afghanistan's long war begins. A small party with few roots outside Kabul seized the state in a day, then tried to remake a rural, deeply religious country by force. The backlash was immediate, and the regime's own infighting drew in the Soviet army. Almost everything that followed, from the mujahideen to the Taliban, traces back to these two days in April 1978.
Profile
The Saur Revolution: Afghanistan's 1978 Communist Coup
Kabul, 27–28 April 1978
In 1973 Mohammad Daoud Khan overthrew his cousin, King Zahir Shah, and declared Afghanistan a republic. He had come to power with help from leftist officers, but by 1978 he was turning against the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA).
On 17 April 1978, a leading PDPA figure, Mir Akbar Khyber, was murdered. His funeral became a mass protest. Daoud responded by arresting the party's leaders, including Nur Muhammad Taraki and Babrak Karmal.
Hafizullah Amin, held under house arrest, managed to pass orders to party members in the army. On 27 April 1978, tank units and the air force attacked the presidential palace, the Arg, in Kabul.
After fierce fighting, Daoud and most of his family were killed early on 28 April. Taraki became head of the new Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
Timeline
- 1973Daoud's coup: monarchy abolished
- 1977PDPA factions reunite: Khalq and Parcham
- 17 Apr 1978Mir Akbar Khyber killed: mass funeral protest
- 26 AprPDPA leaders arrested: Amin sends orders
- 27 AprPalace attacked: tanks and jets in Kabul
- 28 AprDaoud killed: Taraki takes power
- Sep 1979Amin seizes power: Taraki later killed
- Dec 1979Soviet invasion: Karmal installed
Did you know?"Saur" is the Dari name for the second month of the Afghan solar calendar, the month of Taurus, in which the coup took place.
Who were the PDPA?
The PDPA was founded in 1965 and soon split into two factions: Khalq ("The Masses"), led by Taraki and Amin, and Parcham ("The Banner"), led by Karmal.
Its support was strongest among students, teachers and army officers trained in the Soviet Union.
Revolution and backlash
The new government pushed through land reform, marriage reforms and literacy campaigns, often with great brutality. Thousands of suspected opponents were imprisoned and killed.
Revolts broke out across the countryside, including a major uprising in Herat in March 1979. Khalq also purged Parcham, sending Karmal abroad as an ambassador.
The road to Soviet invasion
In September 1979, Amin overthrew Taraki, who was later killed on his orders. Moscow distrusted Amin and feared losing Afghanistan.
In December 1979, Soviet troops entered the country, killed Amin and installed Karmal. The Soviet–Afghan War lasted almost ten years.
The 49th anniversary falls on April 27, 2027.
