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The history of South Yemen after the
British occupation of Aden in 1839 was
quite different. After the opening of
the Suez Canal in 1869, Aden became
a vitally important port along the sea
lanes to India. In order to protect
Aden from Ottoman takeover, the British
signed treaties with tribal leaders
in the interior, promising military
protection and subsidies in exchange
for loyalty; gradually British authority
was extended to other mainland areas
to the east of Aden. In 1937 the area
was designated the Aden Protectorates.
In 1958 six small states within the
protectorates formed a British-sponsored
federation. This federation was later
expanded to include Aden and the remaining
states of the region, and was renamed
the Federation of South Arabia in 1965.
During the 1960s British
colonial policy as a whole came under
increasing challenge from a nationalist
movement centered primarily in Aden.
Great Britain finally withdrew from
the area in 1967, when the dominant
opposition group, the National Liberation
Front (NLF), forced the collapse of
the federation and assumed political
control. South Yemen became independent
as the People's Republic of South Yemen
in November of that year. The NLF became
the only recognized political party
and its leader, Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi,
was installed as president. In 1969
al-Shaabi was ousted and replaced by
Salem Ali Rubayi; until 1978, South
Yemen was governed under the co-leadership
of Rubayi and his rival, Abdel Fattah
Ismail, both of whom made efforts to
organize the country according to their
versions of Marxism.
In 1970 the country was
renamed the People's Democratic Republic
of Yemen (PDRY). Foreign-owned properties
were nationalized, and close ties were
established with the USSR. Rubayi was
deposed and executed in 1978; under
the prevailing authority of Ismail,
Soviet influence intensified in South
Yemen. Ismail was replaced by Ali Nasser
Muhammad al-Hasani in 1980. In 1986
a civil war erupted within the government
of South Yemen; the war ended after
12 days, and al-Hasani fled into exile.
Former premier Haydar Bakr al-Attas
was elected president in October. |
