Cleaning house. Amanullah khan

Cleaning House-Amanullah Khan 💕 1919, 1999.

Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, and near the bottom on the Human Development Index. Riddled with corruption and extremism, #Afghanistan is struggling to join the modern world. However, for a brief time in the early 20th century, Afghanistan made huge steps forward under the leadership of King Amanullah. Amanullah and his wife, Queen Soraya. Soraya was behind many of Amanullah's reforms, and served as the public face of his reforms in women's rights. King Amanullah started off his reign in 1919 by declaring complete Afghan independence from the #British Empire in his coronation speech.

 Afghanistan had been under British rule in some form or another since 1838, and at that time, Britain had complete control over Afghanistan's foreign affairs and an outsized influence on its domestic affairs. The Afghans were, of course, not 100% down with this, and Amanullah's declaration of independence was greeted with enthusiasm. He started the Third Anglo-Afghan war on May 6, 1919. 

The fighting lasted for about a month, and at the end, Afghanistan emerged an independent country. With the British problem taken care of, Amanullah set about a reform regime that would bring Afghanistan into the modern world and improve the quality of life for almost every citizen. Government After throwing off the English, Amanullah set about attempting to unite a divided country.

 Some of his efforts were small, like encouraging government officials to wear Western dress in order to erase tribal and religious divisions; others were bigger, like creating a constitution and purging corruption from the highest levels of society. The Afghan Constitution, ratified in April of 1923, introduced bicameral legislation, a secular court system, and a series of checks and balances in which the king became a constitutional monarch. The 1923 constitution was revolutionary. It offered freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the domestic press, and made it possible to not only present petitions to a court but appeal those decisions to a higher court. It declared that the king was accountable to the country and that he ruled Afghanistan at the leisure of the people.

 Some local government positions became elected, and warrants were required for arrest. Central Asia, 1920. Afghanistan was separated from British India by the "Durand Line." The peace treaty with the British said that Afghanistan had jurisdiction over the Pashtun tribes on their side of the Durand Line, and that Britain had authority over the Pashtuns on their side. Afghanistan wasn't too keen on this arrangement and claimed authority over all Pashtun tribes. Amanullah revolutionized the Afghan budget by having one. Before the 1923 constitution, Afghanistan had run without a budget. 

Amanullah not only established a budget, but he also sought to improve the economy of the country by replacing the valueless rupee with the afghani and by selling farmland to poor farmers at only ten afghanis for a half acre. There was also a significant improvement to infrastructure during Amanullah's time. He connected the entire country with "The Great North Road," which enabled people to get quickly from one part of the country to the other. He created a postal service and installed telegraphs and telephones. He also decided to build a new capital, Darul-Aman. All of this would be very expensive. To pay for it, Amanullah reformed the tax system, getting rid of archaic and arbitrary taxes (like the "Tax for the Queen's Hair Oil") and by levying higher taxes on land and livestock. During Amanullah's reign, the tax on land increased four-fold, and the tax on livestock increased five-fold. In a series of decrees, Amanullah also revoked the special privileges that had previously been offered to tribal and Islamic leaders.

 He cut tribal subsidies and abolished traditional ranks and titles. Mullah's were no longer allowed to preside over court cases. This would, unsurprisingly, make him very unpopular with the upper classes. Social Amanullah formally abolished slavery in article ten of the 1923 constitution. The article read: "Personal freedom is immune from all forms of violation or encroachment. No person may be arrested or punished other than pursuant to an order issued by a Sharia Court or in accordance with the provision of appropriate laws. The principle of Slavery is completely abolished.

 No man or woman can employ others as slaves." This was one of Amanullah's many attempts to unify fractured Afghan society. Previously, slaves had come from religious minorities or rival tribes, and not only was slavery a gross violation of civil rights, it was dividing a country that needed more than ever to be united. Afghans, especially women and high- ranking officials were encouraged to adopt western-style clothing. Amanullah was firmly of the opinion that education was vital to a prosperous society. He made elementary school mandatory for both.

Pashto Times Blogs.

Pashto Times. What Amanullah Khan Did For Afghanistan? Achievements of Ghazi Amanullah Khan. Mullas And King Amanullah Khan.

An English Blog about Amanullah Khan Life. Life of King Amanullah Khan in Exile. How Amanullah Khan Lived in Exile.