1. Context of Russian Threat
2. British Reaction to Russian Threat
3. First Afghan War (1839-42)
3.1. Burnes Mission
3.2. Tripartite Treaty (26 June 1838)
3.3. Auckland Replaced by Ellenborough
3.4. Phase of Non-Interference
4. The Second Afghan War (1878-80)
4.1. Abdur Rahman Khan
5. Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919-21)
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Topic – First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-1842) (Notes)
Subject – History
(Modern Indian History)
Table of Contents
Context of Russian Threat
- The idea of ‘Russian peril was propagated by Lord Palmerston, British Foreign Secretary in the mid-19th century and was first mentioned by William Bentinck.
- The 19th century was a period of diplomatic competition between the British and Russian empires for spheres of influence in Asia known as the Great Game’ to the British and the ‘Tournament of Shadows’ to the Russians.
- Thus, for most of the 19th century, Russia was viewed as ‘the enemy’ in Britain, and any Russian advance into Central Asia was always assumed in London to be directed towards the conquest of India.
- In 1832, Britain had expanded its franchise which was condemned by Emperor Nicholas I of Russia. This set the stage for ‘cold war between autocratic Russia and democratic Britain. Consequently, the 19th-century Russia’s ‘Special mission in the East’ (more directed against the alleged ‘Yellow Peril’ of China rather than India) was misinterpreted.
- In 1837, Lord Palmerston, fearing the instability of Afghanistan, the Sind, and the increasing power of the Sikh kingdom in the northwest, raised the spectre of a possible Russian invasion of British India through Afghanistan, the only entrance to India from Central Asia.
British Reaction to Russian Threat
- The British reaction to the Russian threat was two-fold.
- Forward Policy: One reaction was to secure commanding influence in Afghanistan, either by annexation or by creating it as a buffer state. This view was generally held by the members of the Conservative Party.
- Policy of Masterly Inactivity (also known as the ‘Stationary School’): Another reaction was to reach a diplomatic understanding with Russia and follow a policy of watchful non-intervention as far as Afghanistan was concerned. This view was held by the Liberals.
- In the 1830s, the British became over-anxious to protect Afghanistan leading to the First Anglo-Afghan War which proved to be a great disaster for the British. A direct consequence of this was the annexation of Sind (1843) and Punjab (1849) in an attempt to recover the lost British prestige and made the British India’s frontier directly co-terminus with that of Afghanistan.
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