Saur Revolution
The Saur Revolution, which erupted in April 1978, was a communist-led coup that toppled the regime of President Daoud Khan and fundamentally altered the trajectory of Afghanistan. For the characters of A Thousand Splendid Suns, this event is not merely a historical backdrop but a direct, personal rupture that reshapes their lives, introduces new forms of state violence, and accelerates the cycles of conflict that will ultimately consume them.
Background and Causes
The revolution was precipitated by the murder of Mir Akbar Khyber, a prominent communist, on April 17, 1978. His death sparked massive demonstrations in Kabul, with some ten thousand people marching through the government district. The communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), particularly its Khalq faction led by Nur Muhammad Taraki, blamed Daoud Khan's government for the killing and used the ensuing unrest to mobilize support. The coup itself occurred on April 27, 1978, when rebel military units, including the Fourth Armored Division, seized the airport, key intersections, and government buildings. Rebel MiGs attacked the Presidential Palace, and tanks broke into the premises. Air Force Colonel Abdul Qader announced over the radio that Kabul was in the hands of the people and that a "revolutionary council of the armed forces" had been established, declaring the country the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
What Happens
The coup was swift and brutal. Daoud Khan was killed, but not before the communist rebels killed some twenty members of his family, including women and grandchildren. Rumors circulated that he had been made to watch the massacre of his family before being shot. In the days that followed, the new regime began summary executions of those connected with Daoud Khan's regime, with reports of torture at the Pol-e-Charkhi Prison. For the characters in the novel, the revolution is experienced as a distant but ominous event. Mariam, living in Kabul with her husband Rasheed, hears the news on the radio. Rasheed, initially uncertain, opines that the change might be "bad for the rich" but "maybe not so bad for us." Mariam's thoughts drift to her father, Jalil, a wealthy Herat businessman, and she wonders if the communists will go after him, jailing him or confiscating his properties. The revolution thus directly threatens the world of her father, a man who had cast her out, and she contemplates his potential downfall with a mixture of detachment and curiosity.
Consequences and Aftermath
The Saur Revolution had profound and lasting consequences. It brought the communists to power, who then implemented radical reforms, including literacy classes for women and decrees aimed at liberating women from forced marriage and raising the marriage age. However, these reforms, imposed by a "godless" government, provoked fierce resistance in the tribal areas, where men saw them as an insult to centuries-old tradition. This resistance fueled the Mujahideen insurgency, which in turn prompted the Soviet invasion of 1979. For the novel's characters, the revolution marks the beginning of an era of instability. It leads to the firing of Hakim, Laila's father, from his teaching job by the communists shortly after the coup. It also sets the stage for the Mujahideen's eventual victory, the subsequent civil war, and the rise of the Taliban. The revolution's promise of equality and progress was quickly betrayed by the violence and repression it unleashed, creating the conditions for the decades of suffering that define the lives of Mariam, Laila, and their families. The event is a stark reminder that political upheaval, however ideologically motivated, often brings not liberation but new forms of oppression and bloodshed.
