Reforms of Amānullāh Khān and civil war

1929 Afghan Civil War
Date November 1928-October 1929 Location Afghanistan Result Abdication of King Amānullah Khān, followed by his brother Inayatullāh Khān (January 1929) Defeat of Amānullāh Khān's offensive by King Habibullāh Kalakāni's forces (Spring 1929) Capture of Kabul and assassination of King Kalakāni by Mohammed Nādir Khān and his forces (October 1929)
Belligerents
King Habibullāh Kalakāni Shinwari tribesmen (1928-January 1929)	King Amānullāh Khān (Spring 1929) Mohammed Nādir Khān (Summer-October 1929)
Strength
Approx. 15,000	Unknown

Amānullāh Khān reigned in Afghanistan from 1919, achieving full independence from the British Empire shortly afterwards. Before the Treaty of Rawalpindi was concluded in 1921, Afghanistan had already begun to establish its own foreign policy, including diplomatic relations with the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in 1919. During the 1920s, Afghanistan established diplomatic relations with most major countries.

The second round of Anglo–Afghan negotiations for final peace were inconclusive. Both sides were prepared to agree on Afghan independence in foreign affairs, as provided for in the previous agreement. The two nations disagreed, however, on the issue that had plagued Anglo-Afghan relations for decades and would continue to cause friction for many more — authority over Pashtun tribes on both sides of the Durand Line. The British refused to concede Afghan control over the tribes on the British side of the line while the Afghans insisted on it. The Afghans regarded the 1921 agreement as only an informal one.

The rivalry of the great powers in the region might have remained subdued had it not been for the dramatic change in government in Moscow brought about by the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. In their efforts to placate Muslims within their borders, the new Soviet leaders were eager to establish cordial relations with neighboring Muslim states. In the case of Afghanistan, the Soviets could achieve a dual purpose: by strengthening relations with the leadership in Kabul, they could also threaten Britain, which was one of the Western states supporting counterrevolution in the Soviet Union. In his attempts to unclench British control of Afghan foreign policy, Amanullah sent an emissary to Moscow in 1919; Vladimir Lenin received the envoy warmly and responded by sending a Soviet representative to Kabul to offer aid to Amānullāh's government.

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