ABSTRACT
This chapter provides discussion is to demonstrate how development of state and society affected the elite of the Peoples Republic of South Yemen— its name immediately after independence — and particularly its revolutionary policies. The National Front elite then adopted a full-fledged Marxist line under the leadership of Ismail, Rubay, Ali Nasir, Bayd, Khamiri and their followers. The armed forces were prominent on the elite's favored list, and elite members sought inroads into the military's ranks. The elites' interpretations of such events shaped their understanding both of external dangers and of the opportunities available for the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY), thereby affecting foreign and security policies as well as internal divisions. During the period from mid-1972 to 1980, the situation in the areas surrounding South Yemen changed markedly, generating new PDRY elite perceptions.
