The British and the Russians started showing interests in
Afghanistan
since the beginning of 19th century. The “Great Game”, as it came to be called later, started when
Persia
, with the Russian help, attempted to take over
Herat
during Dost Mohammad’s rule.
The Russians’ interests in
Central Asia
commenced in the 1830s and they considered
Afghanistan
as a part of
Central Asia
. The then Tsarist Russia believed that it had a right and it alone can maintain peace in this area. Subsequent Russian interests in
Afghanistan
until the end of the Cold War in the 1980s were determined by the same concerns.
Afghanistan
was significant for
Russia
during this period for the following three reasons: First, the security of
Russia
’s trade and the significance of
Afghanistan
in meeting those. Right from the period of Peter the Great in the eighteenth century,
Russia
had been looking for a warm water port to make its trade secure. An access through
Afghanistan
would always be in the interest of
Russia
’s trade relations with other countries. Secondly, Tsarist Russia shared ethnic relations with
Afghanistan
, and it would be in the interest of
Russia
to see
Afghanistan
remaining peaceful.
Afghanistan
, either under the direct or indirect control of forces that are not friendly to
Russia
, can always create trouble among Russian subjects. Thirdly, the imperialist objectives of
Russia
in
Afghanistan
; losing
Afghanistan
to other powers would undermine the dignity of
Russia
.
The British interests in
Afghanistan
were based on two factors. Firstly, they feared that advancement of Russian interests in
Afghanistan
would ultimately result in their monopoly being challenged in
India
. Secondly, the British believed that access to
Afghanistan
would result in
Russia
looking for a warm water port in this region, which would increase the economic and colonial prospects of
Russia
. In 1970s and 80s, the same concerns were reflected by the
US
Lord Auckland, the British Governor General of
India
, sent a delegation in 1837 to
Kabul
, then under the control of Dost Mohamed. The British had already signed a Mutual Defence Treaty with Shuja Shah, in 1809, when he was in power for short period in
Kabul
. When Dost Mohamed failed to conclude any agreement with the British, Lord Auckland, decided in 1839 to support Shuja Shah against Dost Mohamed. The result was the first Anglo-Afghan War (1839-42).
With the British taking the first concrete steps in
Afghanistan
,
Russia
decided to take serious efforts to bring the Central Asian Khanates under its influence.
Russia
, during the first half of the 19th century, then under the rule of the Tsars, was expanding slowly but steadily into the Central Asian region.
Following the frontward thrust of
Russia
towards
Afghanistan
, the British and the Russians signed an agreement in 1872, in which both countries agreed to make
Amu Darya
as the northern boundary of
Afghanistan
and the areas under
Afghanistan
were to remain outside the influence of
Russia
. In 1873, the British and the Russians agreed to create a land corridor between the British Indian territory in the northeastern
Afghanistan
and
Russia
; this became the Wakhan Corridor.
In the second half of the 1870s, events that took place both inside the region and elsewhere made
Russia
and the British to advance the Great Game to
Afghanistan
. The Russians, by then, had lost their interest in
Turkey
. When the British occupied
Quetta
in 1876, Russians made advances in
Afghanistan
. They sent a diplomatic mission to seek a mutual assistance treaty with the Afghans against the British. This was accepted by the Amir reluctantly. The British also sent a mission to the Amir, with the same objectives, but the Amir did not give a response immediately. This resulted in the second Anglo-Afghan War. The Amir requested
Russia
for help to defend against the British, but the Russians were not willing to provide any assistance to him; the Congress of Berlin had just prevented the war in
Europe
.
The second Anglo-Afghan war resulted in the Treaty of Gandamak in 1879. The Treaty was very significant for British interests in
Afghanistan
for two specific reasons. First, the treaty provided that
Afghanistan
’s foreign policy thenceforth would be controlled by the Viceroy of India and British representatives would be stationed at
Kabul
; and secondly,
Afghanistan
would cede some of its territories to
British India
, including the strategic
Khyber
Pass.
Tensions between the British and the Russians continued in
Europe
and that had an impact in
Central Asia
. Aware of Russian interests in
Central Asia
and
Afghanistan
, the British forced the Russians to agree for a boundary with
Afghanistan
. At the 1895 Pamir Convention, both
Russia
and
British India
fixed the boundary, except for a precise line along
Amu Darya
, which was finally settled in 1946.
Russia
agreed that
Afghanistan
would remain outside its influence and
Britain
agreed not to annex any more territory belonging to
Afghanistan
.
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