The Great Game

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The Great Game
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The Great Game

• Term used to describe the rivalry and strategic
  conflict between the British Empire and the
  Tsarist Russian Empire for supremacy in Central
  Asia.

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Central Asia, circa 1848
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Like a Mighty Chess Game

• Between 1813-1907 two empires play a subtle game
  of exploration, espionage and imperialistic
  diplomacy
• Conflict always threatened but never broke out
  into direct warfare between sides.
• The pawns? Persia, the Khanates, Afghanistan.

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Central Asia
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First Anglo-Afghan War

• Fear that that Tsars troops were moving to close
  to India, led British to invade Afghanistan in
  1838.
• Brits attempted to impose a puppet regime under
  Shuja Shah but failed.
• In Kabul, mobs attacked British troops and
  civilians during evacuation. Thousands killed.

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Second Anglo-Afghan War

• The Russian took Tashkent, Samarkand, and Merv
  moving ever closer to Afghanistan.
• The British invade Afghanistan a second time in
  1878 with 40,000 men from India.
• Overthrew Sher Ali and put puppet on the throne.
  He suppresses internal rebellions and fosters
  official pro-British policy.

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Political Cartoon depicting the Afghan Amir, Sher
Ali, with his friends Britain and Russia.
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