Movement for a Democratic Society

The Movement for a Democratic Society (Kurdish: Tevgera Civaka Demokratîk‎, TEV-DEM,Arabic: حركة المجتمع الديمقراطي‎‎) is the polyethnic, leftist coalition governing the democratic confederalist autonomous areas of northern Syria referred to collectively as Rojava, from late 2015 through late 2016 as the Democratic Federal System of Northern Syria - Rojava, and now just the Democratic Federal System of Northern Syria. The leading party in the coalition is the Democratic Union Party (PYD). TEV-DEM replaced the Kurdish Supreme Committee as the governing coalition in the de facto autonomous Rojava region.

As the Arab Spring reached Syria in early 2011 protests spread to the Kurdish areas of the north (the regions of Cizîrê, Kobanê, and Efrîn). They were "very strong and effective" in these areas and, to a certain point, this is what led the Syrian army to withdraw almost completely from these Kurdish areas. The citizens living there, with the support of the PYD, formed the Tevgera Civaka Demokratîk (or Tev-Dem), which "quickly became very strong and popular among the region’s population". To avoid chaos, the Tev-Dem stepped in "to implement its plans and programs without further delay before the situation became worse".

Its programme immediately aimed to be "very inclusive" and people from a range of different backgrounds became involved (including Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, and Turkmen (from Muslim, Christian, and Yazidi religious groups). It sought to "establish a variety of groups, committees and communes on the streets in neighborhoods, villages, counties and small and big towns everywhere". The purpose of these groups was to meet "every week to talk about the problems people face where they live". The representatives of the different community groups meet "in the main group in the villages or towns called the “House of the People”".

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Wikipedia