South Yemen
Yemen, 1967–1990. Draft, not yet reviewed
South Yemen, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY), abbreviated to Democratic Yemen, was a country in South Arabia that existed in what is now southeast Yemen from 1967 until its unification with the Yemen Arab Republic in 1990. The Federation and Protectorate of South Arabia were overthrown to become the People's Republic of Southern Yemen (PRSY) on 30 November 1967. On 22 June 1969, the Marxist–Leninist faction of the NLF, led by Abdel Fattah Ismail and Salim Rubai Ali, overthrew the Nasserist President Qahtan al-Shaabi in an internal bloodless coup that was later called the Corrective Move. Despite its efforts to bring stability into the region, it was involved in a brief civil war in 1986.
Seat of power: Aden
Rulers
Qahtan al-Shaabi
President of South Yemen, 1967–1969
On 30 November 1967, the Protectorate of South Arabia was declared independent as the People's Republic of South Yemen, with al-Shaabi as President. Al-Shaabi held the presidency until 22 June 1969, when a hard-line Marxist group from within his own NLF seized control.
Portrait of Qahtan al-Shaabi: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Salim Rubaya Ali
President of South Yemen, 1969–1978
Ali's radical Marxist faction gained dominance over the more moderate President Qahtan al-Shaabi's elements, allowing Rubaya Ali to seize power. On 26 June 1978, the collective leadership of the YSP led by Abdul Fattah Ismail overthrew and executed Rubaya Ali.
Portrait of Salim Rubaya Ali: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Abdul Fattah Ismail
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council, 1978–1980
He served as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council (head of state) and founder, chief ideologue and first leader of the Yemeni Socialist Party from 21 December 1978 to 21 April 1980. He died under mysterious circumstances during the 1986 South Yemen Civil War and his body was never found.
Portrait of Abdul Fattah Ismail: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Ali Nasir Muhammad
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council, 1978–1978
He served as the Prime Minister from 2 August 1971 until 14 February 1985 and as Chairman of the Presidential Council from 26 June 1978, after the ouster and execution of Salim Rubai Ali, until 27 December 1978.
Portrait of Ali Nasir Muhammad: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
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Ali Nasir Muhammad
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council, 1980–1986
Ali Nasir Muhammad, who succeeded Abdul Fattah Ismail in 1980, was generally seen as a more pragmatic and moderate leader than his predecessor. On January 13, 1986, a violent struggle began in Aden between Ali Nasir's supporters and supporters of the returned Ismail, the South Yemen Civil War.
Portrait of Ali Nasir Muhammad: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Haidar Abu Bakr al-Attas
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council, 1986–1990
Before unification, al-Attas served as Prime Minister (1985–1986) and Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council (President of people's Democratic Republic of Yemen) (1986–1990) in the southern PDRY.
Culture
- Politically, South Yemen operated as a centralised Marxist–Leninist state where legislative authority rested with the Supreme People's Council.
- Economically, the state transitioned from Aden's colonial port-based system to central planning, agricultural land reform, and state-backed cooperatives.
- Socially, the PDRY established a state welfare system offering universal basic living standards, universal health care, and education, achieving one of the highest literacy rates in the region.
Picture
Aden is an ancient port city on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea.
Image: Ahmedxalkatheri, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.