Fire in Afghanistan 1914-1929: The First Opening to the West Undone by Tribal Ferocity Years Before the Taliban

The tug-of-war between old and new began in Afghanistan in the 1920's when King Amanullah attempted to modernize his backward nation very fast. He was driven out by a tribal movement much like today's Taliban, not to the sorrow of the British. "A scholarly, marvelously detailed work," says a reviewer, "which reveals Amanullah as a fascinating man."