The
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (
DRA; , ; , ), renamed in 1987 to the
Republic of Afghanistan (; ; , ), existed from 1978 to 1992 and covers the period when the
socialist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) ruled
Afghanistan. The PDPA came to power through a coup known as the
Saur Revolution, which ousted the government of
Mohammad Daoud Khan. Daoud was succeeded by
Nur Muhammad Taraki as head of state and government on 30 April 1978. Taraki and
Hafizullah Amin, the organiser of the Saur Revolution, introduced several contentious reforms during their rule, the most notable being equal rights to women, universal education and land reform. Soon after taking power a power struggle began between the
Khalqists led by Taraki and Amin and the
Parchamites led by
Babrak Karmal. The Khalqists won and the Parcham faction was purged from the party. The most prominent Parcham leaders were exiled to the
Eastern Bloc and the
Soviet Union.