ABSTRACT
The British remained terribly scared of Russia’s expansion towards the north-west frontier of India. The phrase the ‘Great Game in Asia’ has been used to describe Britain’s concerns. Because of its geo-location, Afghanistan acquired crucial importance in this game. The entire thrust of the strategy worked by the Committee of Imperial Defence, established in 1902, was towards warding off this threat. The fear intensified when the Orenberg-Tashkent railway was completed in 1904. The British sought diplomatic solution and formed the Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907. The fear of Russia did not ebb even after 1917. In fact, it increased because of the Communist ideology that the new state professed.
In 1919, the Third Afghan War was fought. The British had to make an all-out effort to overpower the Afghans. From the 1920s Germany started taking interest in Afghanistan. During the Second World War, the Germans tried for restitution of Amanullah Khan, the ex-ruler of Afghanistan. This created panic at New Delhi and London. This great Game ended only when Hitler invaded Russia; and Britain and the Soviet Union signed the ‘Agreement of Mutual Aid’ in July 1941.
