East Turkestan People's Revolutionary Party

The East Turkestan People's Revolutionary Party (; ) was an Uyghur communist party and armed separatist group in Xinjiang. It was founded in 1969 or earlier during Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, and was the largest armed separatist group in the Xinjiang conflict before its dissolution in 1989.

The ETPRP's goal was to initiate a second Revolution of the Three Districts to establish an independent Marxist-Leninist Uyghur state in the Xinjiang region, with help from the Soviet Union. Support from the Soviets increased during the Sino-Soviet split and subsequent border dispute.

History
The ETPRP was founded in 1969 or earlier in Xinjiang, China. It was made up of mainly Uyghurs, but also had a small number of Kazakh fighters. According to Chinese historian Zhang Yuxi, the ETPRP may have been established secretly in 1963. Former members of the ETPRP claimed that the party had around 60,000 members and 178 underground branches in 1969; however, this had not been verified by a third-party.

After a failed insurrection in 1969, the ETPRP gradually weakened due to the arrests of most of their armed fighters and many of their members going into exile. The ETPRP blamed the Soviets for their "lack of commitment" to their cause. The party disbanded in 1989.

References

Category:1989 disestablishments in China
Category:China–Soviet Union relations
Category:Communist parties in China
Category:Defunct communist militant groups
Category:East Turkestan independence movement
Category:Political parties disestablished in 1989
Category:Political parties with year of establishment missing
Category:Pro-independence parties