Britain's Great Game (1800-1914)

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that India, which was so integral to the economic interests of Great Britain, was the critical reason for the struggle for supremacy between Britain and Russia in Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia for much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The paper points out that this power struggle, known as the Great Game in Asia, attempted to bar Russian influence in the region and to curtail Russian advancement deep into Iran. The paper describes that the game was played like one of 'cat and mouse' with the British saw themselves as cats and the Russian as mice, yet the cats were mostly paranoid and fearful of the mouse's reprisal.

From the Paper:

"Witte's assertion arose from the consolidation of the Caucasus beginning with the reorganization of Russian troops as well as controlling tribal unity. Promises were made to Muslim tribesmen where Russia offered to allow indigenous customs and faith to remain; both factors led to a quick Russian victory over the area. Between 1859 and 1864, most of the tribes had been overwhelmed by Russian advances. Now far into Muslim Asia, the thirst for glory perpetrated the ongoing Russian advancement into Central Asia (the areas east of the Caspian Sea) which was a check to British power in the region."

Sample of Sources Used:

• The Avalon Project at Yale Law School, The Anglo-Russian Entente - 1907', [On-line] available from http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/angrusen.htm
• Alder, G. J. 'Britain and the Defence of India the Origins of the Problem 1798-1815.' Journal of Asian History, 6, 1972, pp. 15-44.
• MacKenzie, David, A History of Russia, the Soviet Union, and Beyond. United States and United Kingdom, Wadsworth Group, 2002.
• Garthwaite, Gene R., 'The Bakhtiyari Khans, the Government of Iran, and the British, 1846-1915.' International Journal of Middle East Studies, 3, 1972, pp. 24-4.
• Gillard, David, The Struggle for Asia 1828-1914: A Study in British and Russian Imperialism, London, Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1977.

More papers on Britain's Great Game (1800-1914):

• Essay # 16837 : "The Great War of 1914-1918"
• Essay # 52614 : "The Impact of Railways from 1800-1914"
• Analytical Essay # 59414 : "Victorian England in "Great Expectations"

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