Textbook
Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.
Afghanistan
Modern state
Level 2
★ Major power
1973 – present
Successive republics and governments since the end of the monarchy in 1973.
- Capital
- Kabul
- Region
- Northwest
- Duration
- 53 years (continuing)
- Main period
- Republic of India
Approximate extent.
Key events
| Year | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Afghan monarchy ends | Kabul |
| 1979 | Soviet intervention in Afghanistan | Kabul |
| 1989 | Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan | Kabul |
| 2001 | Bamiyan Buddhas destroyed | Bamiyan |
| 2007 | Afghanistan joins SAARC | New Delhi |
| 2021 | Taliban take control of Kabul | Kabul |
📚 Recommended reading on the Afghanistan
Textbook
Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
Textbook
India and the Contemporary World I & II (Classes 9–10)
Nationalism in Europe and India, the French Revolution and the making of a global world.
Textbook
History of Modern India
The old-NCERT modern India classic, from the decline of the Mughals to independence.
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Contemporaries
Powers that coexisted with the Afghanistan for a significant part of its history.
Kingdom of Nepal ★
Himalaya · 1816 – 2008
Kingdom of Bhutan ★
Himalaya · 1907 – present
Republic of India ★
Pan-Indian · 1950 – present
Republic of Maldives ★
Islands · 1968 – present
Islamic Republic of Pakistan ★
Northwest · 1971 – present
People's Republic of Bangladesh ★
East · 1971 – present
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ★
Sri Lanka · 1972 – present
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ★
Himalaya · 2008 – present