Paper abstract:

The Great Game describes British and Russian imperial expansion in Central Asia as the two powers competed to spread their influence in the region. Historians point to 1830 as the start of British paranoia regarding Russian advances towards India. This neglects to mention British actions during the Greek War of Independence, which saw the nation retreat from the Concert of Europe as well as the growth of anti-Russian sentiment. As Britain countered Russian interests in western Asia, Russia moved further east towards India, creating fears of invasion in Britain. This paper examines the role of Britain in starting the Great Game, focusing on its self-fulfilling prophecy of Russian expansion in Central Asia, examining how Britain’s exit from the European Congress System limited its response to resist Russian expansion. I propose that this exit, and the inability to contain Russia with either European or Eurasian allies, Britain was not effective at countering Russian influence in Central Asia. Unlike some interpretations, which place Britain as a grand architect of policy regarding Central Asia, British policy was reactive, countermanded, and disunited, meaning it was unable to ultimately cope with Russian expansion. The main instance when it looked to expand – the First Anglo-Afghan War – the British were woefully unprepared and suffered from the aggressive foreign policy proposed by Lord Palmerston and Lord Auckland in the 1830s. When the British finally achieved their objective of placing Shah Shujah, they realized that they were woefully unprepared to control and maintain Afghanistan, fulfilled the Duke of Wellington’s prophecy that maintaining a government in Afghanistan would result in a “perennial march into the country.” While Lord Aberdeen attempted to cooperate with, rather than oppose, the Russians in the 1840s, the idea was not pursued following his departure, returning Britain to a game in which it was never winning, yet convinced itself otherwise. This study is based on published materials, and will include archival materials from the India Office Archives at the British Library.