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164 which the British recognized the independence of Afghanistan. At the invitation of the British Government a delegation, under the leadership of Mahmud Tarzi (Foreign Minister), was sent to India to negotiate for peace and a treaty of friendship. This treaty was finally ratified in Kabul in 1922. Meanwhile Aman- ullah succeeded in establishing diplomatic relations for Afghanistan with the outside world. Russia recognized the independent Government of the country and was soon followed by Afghanistan's other neighbours, later to be joined by the countries of Europe. Having achieved this goal, Amanullah started to introduce reforms inside the country and to prepare his people to meet requirements of a modern international life, not only with the countries if Asia, but also with the Western World. This move- ment in Afghanistan resulted in invitations being extended to the King to visit several European countries. By the time Amanullah returned from Europe, the impression of all he had seen there had quite obliterated his preconceived ideas and made him eager to introduce the western way of life with revolutionary swiftness into his own country. Afghanistan, in spite of some political designs orginating outside the country, was once more becoming a strong power in Central Asia. Although the King's reforms met with opposition from a certain group of reactionaries who were rigidly and conserva- tively against the modernization of the country, this opposition was confined to one section of the population only which, though vociferous, was not strong enough to maintain its stand. The fierce civil war which broke out in the country and later resulted in the abdication of King Amanullah and his departure from the country had its real cause not, as the misrepresentations of some writers have tried to prove, in the reluctance of the Afghan