WI Amanullah's Reforms Succeed

sloreck

There have been some interesting mineral finds in Afghanistan in the last few years, not sure any are "spectacular". Just before Amanullah comes to power there is some resource finding in Afghanistan that brings in investment but also income to the government....and also results in some significant road building and a RR that connects west to Persia, and possible spur south to British India. This gives him money to carry out reforms, and also "buy off" some elements that might oppose him. The connections to the outside world bring in more trade, some "modernitiy" leakage, and expect a bump in local education to provide technicians and some going overseas to become engineers economists etc more than OTL.
 

Kriegdämmerung

Ivir Baggins said:
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reforms_of_Am%C4%81null%C4%81h_Kh%C4%81n_and_civil_war

These reforms, if successful, would have completely transformed Afghanistan. Is there any way to make these succeed, and if so, what are their effects?
Click to expand...

It's tough to have these succeed due to the nature of Afghanistan itself. While Amanullah wanted to institute Ataturk-style reforms, Afghanistan's traditional power structures weren't wrecked/challenged in the same way that the Ottoman Empire had been destroyed by WWI. Given Amanullah's similar relationship with the USSR to that of Pahlavi Iran, it seems to suggest that the Soviets would've simply tried to get more control over the country.

Actually, Amanullah has a lot in common with the Pahlavi shahs and their pre-White Revolution goals. See them for reference.
 
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