Incidents of the Anglo Afghan War
The British Colonial Rule is a major part of the modern history of India. The British East India Company wanted to extend its reach by capturing the neighboring countries such Afghanistan in order to curb down the influence of Russia. This led to the Anglo Afghan War, a significant incident in the history of Asia. The British and Afghan troops fought each other in three different wars in 1839-1842, 1878-1880, and 1919. In this article, we will study the Anglo afghan war significance elaborately.
The First Anglo Afghan War
In 1826, Dost Mohammad Khan ascended the throne. He was trying to maintain the balance of the influences of Russian penetration and Great Britain. Great Britain, on the other hand, felt that Dost Mohammad was unable to resist the penetrative measures taken by the Russians and he might turn hostile against them. They started interfering in the internal affairs of the Afghan regime.
Lord Auckland, the then Governor General of India, ordered a full-fledged invasion with an aim to restore Shah Shoja on the throne. The British troops suffered a lot of privation but managed to enter Kandahar and restore Shoja on the throne. The Afghans, on the other hand, were not happy with the intrusion of the British in their internal affairs. It resulted in violent uprisings across the country. Dost Mohammad managed to escape prison and led his partisans to recapture Kabul from the hands of the British but surrendered in 1840.
Insurrections continued to malign the peace of the country. The British could not find a way to defend their positions in the country and ordered the troops to march out from Kabul. More than 4500 British and Indian soldiers with over 12,000 followers were followed by the Afghans resulting in a huge massacre on 6th January 1842. Shoja was assassinated once the British left the ground.
Lord Ellenborough, the contemporary Governor General of India, decided to evacuate Afghanistan and to restore Dost Mohammad on the throne in 1843. This is how the First Anglo Afghan War ended.
The Second Anglo Afghan War
Lord Lytton was appointed as the Governor General of India in 1875 and he was quite concerned about the relationship between Afghanistan and India. The Russian influence was already leaching into the Afghan soil.
He wanted to send a ‘mission’ to Kabul but Shir Ali Khan, the 3rd son of Dost Mohammad and the then ruler of Afghanistan clearly denied letting him in. He did not do anything but jolted to take action when General Stolyetov, the Russian general, was allowed to enter. He was furious as his envoy Sir Neville Chamberlain was denied permission.
He launched the Second Anglo Afghan War on 26th May 1878. Due to the British invasion, Shir Ali fled from his capital and died in his exile in 1879. The British Army took over Kabul and a treaty was signed. In this treaty, Yaqub, the son of Shir Ali, was recognized as the Emir of Afghanistan. Yaqub agreed to the terms that every external affair will be conducted under the guidance of the British.
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Despite this win, it was short lived. On 3rd September 1879, Sir Louis Cavagnari, a British envoy was murdered along with his escort. The British took it as a serious threat and again occupied Kabul. The throne was devoid of a king till July 1880. Abd-al Rahman, the cousin of Yaqub, was appointed as the Emir of Afghanistan. It was then the borders of Afghanistan were drawn in accordance with the Russians and British.
The Third Anglo Afghan War
The Third Anglo Afghan War was the result of the Ottoman rulers of Turkey supporting Afghans against the British. This war started in 1914 with the advent of World War I. The Emir of Afghanistan was Habibullah Khan. He maintained a noninvolvement policy throughout this war for the sake of his subjects.
He was assassinated on 20th February 1919 by people linked to the anti-British movement in the country. It was his son Amanullah Khan who was given the throne to rule the country. At that time also, the British intervened with the external affairs of Afghanistan.
Amanullah Khan, during his coronation in 1919, declared Afghanistan as an independent state. He declared that his country will now enjoy the sovereign power to decide its laws and will take care of the external affairs. The Afghanistan independence year is 1919. It was then the 3rd Afghan Anglo War ended in May 1919. It resulted from a month-long fight between the Afghan and British troops. Both were exhausted due to the depletion of resources during World War I.
A peace treaty was signed on 8th August 1919 in Rawalpindi and a new friendship was established with the Bolshevik Government of Soviet Union. This treaty was peacefully amended in 1921 but the year of independence of Afghanistan is considered to be 1919 when it was signed.
The Anglo Afghan Wars depict a significant time of the history of Afghanistan, Soviet Union, and India. The British regime’s influence on the other countries and the impact of World War I clearly suggest how it suffered from losses. The Afghanistan war also signifies the independence from the influence of the Soviet Union and Great Britain in 1919.
FAQs on Anglo Afghan Wars
1. What was the primary motivation for British intervention in Afghanistan?
The primary motivation for British intervention in Afghanistan was to create a buffer state to protect British India from the expanding influence of the Russian Empire. This strategic rivalry between the British and Russian Empires for supremacy in Central Asia was known as 'The Great Game'. The British feared a Russian advance towards India through Afghanistan and sought to install a pro-British ruler in Kabul to secure their northwestern frontier.
2. How many Anglo-Afghan Wars were fought and during what periods?
There were a total of three Anglo-Afghan Wars fought between the British Empire and Afghanistan. The timelines for these conflicts are as follows:
- The First Anglo-Afghan War: 1839–1842
- The Second Anglo-Afghan War: 1878–1880
- The Third Anglo-Afghan War: 1919
3. What were the immediate causes of the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-1842)?
The immediate cause was the British Governor-General of India, Lord Auckland's, decision to launch an invasion of Afghanistan. This was prompted by his failure to persuade the Afghan ruler, Dost Mohammad Khan, to sever ties with Russia and Persia. Lord Auckland's 'forward policy' aimed to replace Dost Mohammad with a more compliant, pro-British ruler, Shah Shuja, leading directly to the conflict.
4. What was the significance of the Second Anglo-Afghan War?
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was significant because it resulted in the British gaining control over Afghanistan's foreign policy through the Treaty of Gandamak (1879). Although the British faced fierce resistance and suffered losses, the war successfully established a British mission in Kabul and confirmed Afghanistan's status as a protectorate, preventing other foreign powers from influencing the region. This policy was part of a larger British imperial strategy, which also included conflicts like the Mysore Wars to consolidate power in the subcontinent.
5. Who were the key British and Afghan leaders during the wars?
Several key leaders were involved across the three wars:
- First War (1839-42): British Governor-General Lord Auckland initiated the war. The key Afghan leader was Dost Mohammad Khan.
- Second War (1878-80): British Viceroy Lord Lytton pursued a 'forward policy'. The Afghan Emirs were Sher Ali Khan and later Abdur Rahman Khan.
- Third War (1919): The Afghan leader was Amanullah Khan, who sought complete independence from British influence.
6. Why is the Third Anglo-Afghan War considered a strategic victory for Afghanistan?
The Third Anglo-Afghan War is considered a victory for Afghanistan because it resulted in the nation achieving full independence. Although it was a short conflict, the ensuing Treaty of Rawalpindi (1919) recognised Afghanistan's sovereignty and its right to conduct its own foreign affairs, free from British control. For Britain, which was exhausted by World War I, the cost of maintaining control was too high, marking a decisive end to its direct intervention.
7. How did the concept of 'The Great Game' shape the Anglo-Afghan Wars?
'The Great Game' was the 19th-century political and diplomatic confrontation between the British and Russian Empires over influence in Central Asia. This rivalry directly shaped the Anglo-Afghan Wars. Afghanistan's strategic location made it a crucial pawn. The British initiated the first two wars primarily to prevent a pro-Russian government from taking power in Kabul, which they believed would threaten the security of their most valuable colony, India. Therefore, the wars were not just about conquering Afghanistan but about winning a larger geopolitical contest against Russia.
8. What were the long-term consequences of the Anglo-Afghan Wars for the region?
The long-term consequences were profound. Firstly, Afghanistan affirmed its status as a fiercely independent nation, earning the nickname 'graveyard of empires'. Secondly, the establishment of the Durand Line in 1893 as the border between Afghanistan and British India created a lasting geopolitical issue, dividing Pashtun tribal lands and continuing to be a point of contention between modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. Finally, the wars solidified Afghanistan's role as a buffer state but left it internally fragmented and wary of foreign powers.
