An Epic Saga: Afghanistan, British India, and the Hundred-Year War for India's Northern Frontier

Welcome to a journey back in time, where empires clashed, alliances formed and dissolved, and borders transformed in the rugged terrain of Afghanistan. This is the story of the hundred-year war for India's northern frontier, a battle that shaped the destiny of nations and marked a pivotal role in history.

The Strategic Importance of Afghanistan

Afghanistan, a landlocked country in Central Asia, holds significant strategic importance due to its unique geographical location. With vast mountain ranges in the north and a remote, rugged landscape, Afghanistan served as a natural buffer zone between various empires throughout history. It became a battleground for dominance and control over the lucrative trade routes between East and West.

During the era of British colonialism in the 19th century, Afghanistan's northern frontier became a crucial piece in the grand chessboard of power politics. The British Empire, nestled in India, aimed to secure its borders and protect its prized possession from potential invasions by rivals like Russia. Afghanistan acted as a vital barrier against the encroaching Russian Empire from expanding its influence southward into British India.

The Great Game: Afghanistan, British India and the Hundred Year War for India's Northern Frontier

by G.S. Goraya(Kindle Edition)

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The First Anglo-Afghan War: A Costly Breach for the British

In an attempt to maintain their control over Afghanistan, the British launched the First Anglo-Afghan War in 1839. The British invaded, deposed the Afghan ruler, and installed a puppet government to safeguard their interests. However, the Afghan people fiercely resisted the occupation and launched a resistance movement that led to the eventual retreat of the British forces in 1842.

The First Anglo-Afghan War proved to be a disastrous military expedition for the British. It resulted in the death or capture of thousands of soldiers, solidifying Afghanistan's reputation as the "Graveyard of Empires." The war was a wake-up call for the British, making them realize the immense challenges of occupying and controlling Afghanistan.

The Great Game: The British and Russian Rivalry

As the 19th century progressed, the strategic rivalry between the British Empire and the Russian Empire intensified. This rivalry, known as the "Great Game," focused on gaining influence and control over Central Asia, with Afghanistan at the heart of the conflict.

Both empires sought to gain dominance over Afghanistan in their pursuit of expanding their territories and securing valuable trade routes. Diplomatic maneuvers, espionage, and supporting local proxies created a complex web of intrigue and power struggles.

The Second Anglo-Afghan War: British Reassertion of Power

The Second Anglo-Afghan War, which lasted from 1878 to 1880, marked the British Empire's second attempt to control Afghanistan. The British were determined to safeguard their interests and prevent Russian influence from reaching India.

Under the leadership of Sir Frederick Roberts, the British forces launched a series of military campaigns that resulted in the occupation of major Afghan cities. The Treaty of Gandamak was signed, establishing a British presence in Afghanistan while keeping the Afghan ruler as a puppet ally.

Afghanistan's Independence and Its Impact

In the early 20th century, Afghanistan gradually gained its independence and successfully resisted external domination. The turmoil of World War I and the subsequent collapse of empires created an opportunity for Afghanistan to redefine its place on the world stage.

However, the geopolitical struggle for Afghanistan's influence did not end with its independence. Throughout the 20th century, the country faced the consequences of various regional conflicts, including the civil war, Soviet occupation, and the rise of the Taliban.

The Legacy: Lessons and Relevance Today

The hundred-year war for India's northern frontier left a lasting impact on the region, shaping its political dynamics and influencing the relationships between nations. Afghanistan's strategic importance and its role as a buffer zone between global powers continue to resonate in the contemporary geopolitical landscape.

With conflicting interests and the evolving security challenges, Afghanistan still finds itself at the crossroads of regional rivalries and international interventions. Understanding the historical context and complexities of this long-standing struggle is crucial in comprehending the ongoing Afghan conflict and finding potential paths towards peace and stability.

The hundred-year war for India's northern frontier is a saga of imperial ambitions, fierce resistance, and enduring consequences. It is a testament to the power struggles between empires and the resilience of Afghanistan as a nation. Today, as Afghanistan navigates another critical phase, acknowledging its historical significance and engaging in meaningful efforts to resolve its internal and external challenges are essential for a prosperous and peaceful future.

The Great Game: Afghanistan, British India and the Hundred Year War for India's Northern Frontier

by G.S. Goraya(Kindle Edition)

4.4 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	2261 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	139 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE

The Great Game refers to the hundred year geostrategic contest between Britain and Russia for control of Eurasia in the 19th century.

The arena for the Great Game was all the lands, kingdoms and nations between the two Empires. At the beginning of the Great Game the territories of British India and Tsarist Russia were separated by a distance of almost 1,500 miles. At the end, all that remained between the two was Afghanistan - which at its narrowest, was a sliver of a 15 mile corridor, agreed upon mutually by the two behemoths to keep them apart.

Afghanistan emerged as a modern nation, with its current territorial form, during the era of the Great Game. As a frontier state, Afghanistan was the stage on which the most powerful actors in this greatest geopolitical drama in the history of the world played their roles and left lasting legacies which resonate even in our age.

The nationalist historiography of Afghanistan traces the origins of modern Afghanistan to 1747, the year in which Ahmad Shah Abdali established the Durrani Empire with its capital at Kabul. The British Colonial State was emerged as a power in South Asia not much later, when the East India Company acquired territorial rights in Bengal, after the Battle of Plassey, in 1757. The first official, diplomatic contact between the two was established in 1809. In the interceding half century or so, the Durrani Empire had expanded up to the borders of Delhi and subsequently shrunk to a much smaller core around the twin capitals of Kabul and Peshawar, after which the British Colonial State itself expanded to incorporate not just Delhi, but also territories beyond. By the middle of the 19th century, the British Colonial State had expanded its borders further north, across the Punjab, defeating and annexing the Sikh Empire. From 1849 onwards, Afghanistan and the British in India were geopolitical neighbours and rivals.

The book traces the interactions between Afghanistan and the emerging British power in India, from the first contacts to the construction of the final territorial form of the region which come to be known as British India’s northwest frontier.

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Excerpt:

In 1808, the Governor General of the East India Company despatched three embassies from India to secure a system of alliances with one single purpose: to prevent the march of an overseas army from Europe through the southern quadrant of Middle Asia into India.

At the turn of the 19th century, the spectre of Europe cast a shadow of unease over Asia. After the collapse of the French Revolution, Europe had been gripped by war as French armies led Napoleon Bonaparte marched across European frontiers. While the wars in Europe are beyond the scope of this essay, their effect on Asian diplomacy and strategic thought about the defence of India is important. In 1798, France had invaded Egypt. Was there a possibility of an invasion of India? Napoleon Bonaparte had, after all, openly proclaimed his intention of forging a pan-Asian Empire. (“I was full of dreams… I saw myself founding a new religion, marching into Asia riding on an elephant, a turban on my head and in my hands the new Koran I would have written to suit my needs.” - Napoleon.) Ultimately, the French fleet in the Mediterranean was destroyed by a British naval fleet even as the threats of continental war in Europe continued to rage.

If there ever was to be a French invasion of India from Egypt, the plausible route would have been through the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf. Or, overland, through Persia, possibly across Afghanistan, and further through Punjab or Sind. The three embassies were tasked with building an alliance system to prevent this, and secure India’s frontiers for the British Colonial State of the East India Company.

(Excerpt from Chapter 2)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

G.S. Goraya is Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Geopolitics at the Department of Political Science, Panjab University, India.