The ENTIRE History of South Yemen: The Lost Communist State

In 1967, a British imperial port on the Arabian Peninsula became the only Marxist-Leninist state in the Arab world. Twenty-three years later, it negotiated its own disappearance. This is the story of South Yemen: how it was built, why it nearly destroyed itself, and why its political identity never went away. In this video, we follow Aden from a British Crown Colony to the capital of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. We cover the Aden Emergency, the Corrective Move of 1969, the radical social reforms of the 1970s, the Soviet alliance, the wars with North Yemen, the devastating civil war of January 1986, unification in 1990, and the failed secession of 1994. We also look at how the "southern question" continues to shape Yemen today, from the Southern Movement to the Southern Transitional Council and the latest developments in 2026. If you enjoy deep-dive history documentaries about forgotten countries, Cold War proxies, and states that vanished from the map, consider subscribing for more. 📌 Topics covered: • British rule in Aden and the Aden Protectorate • The Aden Emergency and independence in 1967 • Marxism-Leninism in South Yemen and the Family Law of 1974 • The Soviet Union and the Cold War in Arabia • North–South Yemen wars of 1972 and 1979 • The 1986 civil war in Aden • Yemeni unification in 1990 and the 1994 civil war • The Southern Transitional Council and the modern southern question ⚠️ This video reflects events as of the time of recording. The situation in southern Yemen is changing quickly. 🔔 Subscribe for more stories of vanished states and forgotten history. #SouthYemen #yemenhistory #coldwar #Aden #forgottenhistory