Kingdom of Afghanistan

The Kingdom of Afghanistan was the monarchy that succeeded the Emirate of Afghanistan in 1926 and lasted until the coup of 1973. Its first king, Amanullah Khan, had come to the throne in 1919 and won full independence from Britain in the Treaty of Rawalpindi; seven years later he took the title of king and proclaimed a kingdom. Amanullah attempted a programme of reform modelled on Turkey and Europe, including a written constitution, secular courts and education for girls, but his measures provoked conservative resistance and led to his abdication in 1929. After a short period of civil war, Nadir Shah took power and founded a dynasty that ruled until 1973. Under his son Zahir Shah the country remained poor and largely rural, but Kabul acquired universities, a parliament and a more modern administration. The kingdom pursued a policy of neutrality in foreign affairs. It ended in July 1973, when Mohammed Daoud Khan overthrew his cousin Zahir Shah and declared a republic.