British India – Kingdom of Afghanistan relations
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Kingdom of Afghanistan
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British India
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The term Great Game was used to describe the rivalry that occurred between Great Britain and Russia as their spheres of influence in Mughal India, Turkestan and Persia (Iran) moved the two powers closer to one another in South-Central Asia. The Great Game between England and Russia began in 1830 and lasted throughout the 19th century. The British Raj were concerned about Russian advances in Central Asia. England used Afghanistan as Buffer state to protect all approaches to British India from a Russian invasion. British concern about the Russian influence on Afghanistan led to the First Anglo-Afghan War (from 1838 to 1842) and the Second Anglo-Afghan War (from 1878 to 1880). The Third Anglo-Afghan War began May 1919 and lasted for a month. Great Britain no longer had control of Afghanistan's foreign affairs after an armistice was signed on August 8, 1919.
To understand the events that occurred during the Great Game it is necessary to briefly discuss the history of Afghanistan before the 19th century. Afghanistan was an important crossroads, dominated by other civilizations throughout its history. By 522 BC Darius the Great extended the boundaries of the Persian Empire into most of the region that is now western Pakistan. By 330 BC. Alexander the Great conquered Persia and Afghanistan. After centuries of invasions the nation finally began to take shape during the 18th century under the leadership of Ahmad Shah Durrani.
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