Afghanistan in the ‘50s and ‘60s (20 pics)

Now lets compare to nowadays, to see the "democracy" that americans gave them

looked like a really up and coming nation...

And religious fundamentalism and constant wars have pushed it back into the 1850's and 1860's. Really sad.

No1,

Back then and today still Afghans follow the same religion. What different is that back then they had no so called "Super Power" USA trying to promote democracy in their country and today they have one. Just to find one man! just one frickin' man! US blew up the whole country, Capability of US army is questionable. It's actually US that sent this country back to 1850s. Not their religion. By the way it sounds quite lame calling someone's beliefs reason for their destruction. If it were beliefs then they would have never progressed in the first place.

same as Iran before.

Girls... If you want to be stoned to death today, try wearing short skirts or going to school... :01:

:02: why is it that every oppressed war torn failed state undemocratic or extremist nation today....where prospering in 60s 70s

To turn to rubble, just add Islam

this country fell apart long before the US put the "cherry on top" of turning it into an utter cluster fuck nation.

LOL at the idea that the US turned this country into a clusterfuck.

These pictures record an era that Afghanistan has not returned to dating from the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s, not the US-led invasion 20 years later.

The US entered a country that was already torn by war and run by the Taliban, you know, the guys who dynamited the historic Buddha statues that Genghis Khan himself thought was worth preserving - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B

uddhas_of_Bamiyan

dafuck happened ???

it had promise

I understand that a lot of people hate the US, but don't be an idiot. Russia invaded that country LONG before the US went in. And the US didn't force religious fundamentalism on them either. That came because of the power vacuum during the war with Russia. The freedom fighters forced everyone to follow their terrifying religious practices.

Had the US really been responsible for that then they would have forced Christianity on them.

Don't get me wrong, the US has done some horrible things in Afghanistan, but the transition from the pictures above didn't start here.

Always serious shit!

That is the time before the Taliban

Pixan,
Exactly, Now the question is who made Taliban? It was US who made Talibans to fight russia. When they destroyed USSR into pieces US disowned Talibans and called 'em terrorists and religious extremists. Don't ignore the other side of picture, if you are looking into it look at both sides.
Did you ever wonder Islam religion was there for more than 1400 years, why there were no extremists, terrorists at that time? why it kept spreading? If it was extreme and terrorizing then why there are 2 billion people on earth following Islam? Indonesia is Muslim country with huge population, Turkey is Muslim country. Why there are no terrorists their? To all who blame Islam.. with respect you guys get some knowledge or
Ignorance is a bliss of course.

looked very free back then, too bad...

No1,
Nick1090,
holio,
No1,
Pixan,
Thanks to the Taliban! The taliban were those who stopped people going to schools, destroyed precious art and monuments etc.
BUT
It was the CIA who funded the taliban and put Osama in power (yes, the CIA gave them $3billion and put Osama on top), not to mention being occupied for the past 12 years and being left in a state that will only lead to civil war.

So in esscence, the US IS to blame for the current state of Afganistan.

And dont bring Islam into this: Christianity is the bloodiest of the religions

Why should I believe these pictures are from Afghanistan? And not from some other Muslim country?