A decade after nepals maoist rebellion, little justice for victims. The maoist movement of nepal has assumed alarming proportions in the last few years. Many people have disappeared or got killed during the war. The author elaborates on the history of communism in the country, looks into the causes behind the growth of the insurgency, repercussions of the events of 911 on nepal and hindrances to a negotiated. The maoist insurgency in nepal and the political economy of violence. This is one reason why the 1950 treaty of peace and friendship grants the nationals of india with national treatment in. A global history, china scholar julia lovell explains maoera chinas influence across the globe, funding insurgencies from africa to nepal to peru, and inspiring others closer to.
Contrary to portrayals ignorant of nepals political history, the peoples warriors did not spring up from nowhere as an aberration in world politics. The author is able to provide a brief analysis of most events and aspects of the history without taking sides, even when discussing the foreign actors and influences. Blaikie, cameron and seddons book called nepal in crisis 1977 was one of the. Adhikaris narrative draws on a broad range of sources including novels, letters and diaries to illuminate the history and human drama of the maoist revolution. Al jazeera tells this story through the eyes of the nepali people. It is reasonably easy to trace the historical currents that shaped and sustained the.
A vamshavali edited by daniel wright addeddate 20110703 11. Historical background introduction a study of political history of nepal reveals a history of autocratic rule. Nepals modern history as to situate the movement within the process of the. King gyanendra shah was dethroned in 2006 by a decade long peoples revolution led by communist party of nepal maoist and several weeks protest by major political parties and established federal democratic republic of nepal. Drawing on longterm fieldwork with people in the former. And he vividly recounts episodes from nepals more recent history. Mao zedong sixiang, is a variety of marxismleninism that mao zedong developed for realising a socialist revolution in the agricultural, preindustrial society of the republic of china and later the peoples republic of china. This book examines this multilayered question in democracies such as india and nepal through an analysis of these movements as well as their leaderships and ideologies. Aug 22, 2012 forget kathmandu by manhushree thapa gives a good and succinct overview of nepal s history.
To do this it was necessary to destroy peoples previous sense of who they were and to make sure there was no room for it grow back. The philosophical difference between maoism and marxismleninism is that the. Part of the maoist project was the deliberate construction of a new moral identity. The author elaborates on the history of communism in the country, looks into the causes behind the growth of the insurgency, repercussions of the events of 911 on nepal and hindrances to a negotiated settlement of the problem. See deepak thapa and bandita sijapati, kingdom under siege zed books, london, 2004, p. By examining the history of communist movements in india within a. In nepal s eastern terai region of jhapa, sections of communists experimented with the maoist concept of peoples war by unsuccessfully taking up arms in may 1971. It contextualizes and explains why and how a violent maoist insurgency grew in nepal the book deals with the dynamics and growth of a violent 21st century communist rebellion initiated in nepal by the communist party of nepal maoist cpnm.
I take a crosssectional approach where the unit of analysis is the district, and dependent variable is total killings by state and maoists. Nepal, a south asian himalayan country, has been of late suffering from a crisis of maoist insurgency. History of nepal by prashant jha recommended reading among the many sources of information books on nepal, we find these particularly well written and insightful. Pdf the naxalites and the maoist movement in india. The nepalese civil war also known as the maoist conflict nepali. It is likely to stand for a considerable time to come as the most comprehensive and insightful account of nepals. This article traces the path of the communist party of nepalmaoist ascent to. Maoist peoples war and the revolution of everyday life in. The communist party of nepal is a name used by a number of nepalese political parties claiming allegiance to the communist ideology. In spite of its expansion to new areas and a remarkable increase in its military capabilities and striking power, the maoist movement led by the communist party of india maoist faces a politicalorganisational crisis of sorts. The end of the cultural revolution and the demise of mao tsetung resulted in a split between the maoists, echoes of which can still be heard. Nepali journalists, aditya adhikari and prashant jha. A decade after nepals maoist rebellion, little justice.
Maoist peoples war and the revolution of everyday life in nepal. Nepal, country of asia, lying along the southern slopes of the himalayan mountain ranges. In this background paper, attempts have been made to sketch the trajectory of the maoist movement in india, keeping in view the cpi maoists history including organisation and proliferation, ideology, strategy and tactics. To date, over 1800 people have died with unofficial reports soaring as high as 4,000 mostly maoists, police and innocent villagers caught in the crossfire. In july, nepals first president, ram baran yadav, was elected by the assembly with the support of nepals major nonmaoist parties. Rather, the issue raised here needs to be addressed in light of the emergence of the cpnmaoist party in 1990, its distinct political mandate the use of violence, and its strategy of politicizing grievances and transforming them into a collective force. By examining the history of communist movements in india within a behavioral perspective, this article asks.
Ina zharkevich this book is an ethnography of social change and normremaking brought about by the maoist peoples war in nepal between 1996 and 2006. Revolution in the twentyfirst century routledge contemporary south asia series lawoti, mahendra, pahari, anup kumar on. Historical development, in problems and prospects of revolution in nepal. The communist party of nepal cpn maoist fired the first shots of the peoples war on february 12, 1996 seeking to destroy constitutional monarchy and establish a peoples republic. The nepalese maoist movement in comparative perspective. Financial times this thoroughly research book reveals how this happened machinations rivaling those on the television show house of cards roiled the palace and the parliament and finally drove the royal family from power. The maoist insurgency in nepal revolution in the twentyfirst century, 1st edition. A maoist insurgency began in 1996, ending with a communist victory in 2007. Nepal s bloody civil war ended in 2006 when a comprehensive peace accord was signed between the maoist rebels and the nepali state in kathmandu.
Committee of the communist party of nepal maoist in september 1995. A sizeable population of indian origin live in nepal and vice versa. A wellresearched history of nepals maoist revolution. Cameron and seddons book called nepal in crisis 1977 was one of the first. Pdf the strategic revolutionary phases of the maoist insurgency. Via forays into the micro history of thabang, one of the formative sites of nepal s maoist revolution, this chapter attempts to show how gramscis ideas remain deeply relevant to understanding. While events in nepal are troublesome and a kind of diplomatic. Forget kathmandu by manhushree thapa gives a good and succinct overview of nepals history. The remaining books bring out stories of breaking out. Maoism was based on a distinct outlook not necessarily dependent on a chinese or marxistleninist context. A global history, china scholar julia lovell explains maoera chinas influence across the globe, funding insurgencies from. Its election marked the end of a 240yearold monarchy. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. Revolution in the 21st century, brings our attention back to the decadelong peoples war.
An analysis of the maoist movement in nepal yurendra basnett published. Aug 12, 2018 a pivotal moment in nepal s history was the birth of buddhism. Yadav, a madhesi and member of the congress party, defeated the maoistbacked candidate when madhesi janaadhikar forum switched its support to yadav. Kathmandu, nepal ten summers ago in nepal, the maoist leader pushpa kamal dahal emerged from hiding just as the decade. Aimed at both the general reader and the specialist, understanding the maoist movement of nepal is indispensable for those interested in contemporary nepal. Its territory extends roughly 500 miles 800 kilometres from east to west and 90 to 150 miles from north to south. I will argue that the conditions for violence were present throughout the history of nepal.
Practical guide to nepal photo by uttam bahadur shrestha. Fifty recent books on the maoist movement in india. The history of communist ideologyguided armed conflict in nepal dates. Via forays into the microhistory of thabang, one of the formative sites of nepals maoist revolution, this chapter attempts to show how gramscis ideas remain deeply relevant to understanding. The party was previously known as the communist party of nepal maoist until 2009 and as the unified communist party of nepal maoist until 2016. Yadav, a madhesi and member of the congress party, defeated the maoist backed candidate when madhesi janaadhikar forum switched its support to yadav. On april 11, 2008, the communist party of nepal maoist, or cpnm, became the first democratically elected maoist party in world history, and has been recognized as such by the international community. Hundreds of firsthand accounts of nepals internal conflict have appeared, mainly though not exclusively in maoistaligned journals, magazines and newspapers, since the early years of the peoples war. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise cambridge core to connect with your account.
Through a series of detailed interviews and dialogues, it sheds. List of books and articles about nepalese history online. An indispensible account of nepals recent history, the book offers a fascinating case study of how communist ideology has been reinterpreted and translated into political. It starts with how nepal, initially a collection of small idependant kingdoms, was unified by prithvi narayan shah and brings you up to speed with events u. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading maoism. Foreign affairs the writing is wonderfully concrete and fresh. The maoist insurgency in nepal and the political economy of violence avidit acharyay october 2009 abstract this paper studies the incidence of political violence associated with the maoist insurgency in nepal. In 2008, the unified communist party of nepal maoist placed first in the election with 220 out of 575 elected seats and became the largest party in the constituent assembly. In july, nepal s first president, ram baran yadav, was elected by the assembly with the support of nepal s major non maoist parties. Rather, the issue raised here needs to be addressed in light of the emergence of the cpn maoist party in 1990, its distinct political mandate the use of violence, and its strategy of politicizing grievances and transforming them into a collective force.
Drawing on interviews with moaist leaders and cadres, as well as on numerous untranslated nepali sources including novels and memoirs, the bullet and the ballot box opens new vistas on the conflict. Published in 2010, it provides analysis with the benefits of greater temporal distance and social scientific methodology than the timely and pathbreaking volumes that were published in the heat of conflict e. Evolution of the cpi maoist the history of the communist party in india goes way back to 1920s. Revolution in the twentyfirst century routledge contemporary south asia series. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Most trace their roots back to the original communist party of nepal formed in 1949. While john whelptons history focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 19501, the early chapters are devoted to. Nepals bloody civil war ended in 2006 when a comprehensive peace accord was signed between the maoist rebels and the nepali state in kathmandu. After the death of diepndra, gyanendra shah late king birendras brother succeeded as the king of nepal. Facts and information about nepal, including its history, people, geography, economy, and more. Nepal as a state was organised by prithiv narayan shah of shah dynasty in 1764. The maoist insurgency in nepal and the political economy of.
A study of memoirs written by nepali maoist combatants. Jan 29, 2017 a decade after nepals maoist rebellion, little justice for victims. Isabella trees book combines history, mythology, memoir and cultural studies to delve into this incredible tradition. The author is able to provide a brief analysis of most events and aspects of the history without taking sides, even when discussing the. Opinion a maoists burden in nepal the new york times. Written entirely in the first person, one could view the book as the field journal of an anthropologist working in a. The literature they have written may be weak in its structure, and. While john whelptons history focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in. Why are maoist, naxalite and left extremist movements taking root in the most backward and underdeveloped regions of south asia. A decade after nepals maoist rebellion, little justice for. Maoist movement in india economic and political weekly. A constitutional democracy that was established following the 1990 peoples movement appears to be on the verge of collapse due to continued success of maoist guerrilla insurgency or peoples war that was launched in february of 1996 by. The election results for the constituent assembly of nepal.