History: 2nd Anglo Afghan War
History: 2nd Anglo Afghan War
Viceroy Lawrence (1864 – 1869)
1) Lawrence’s goal was to consolidate British power
2) He did view light taxation as a Fair policy
3) Not acting quickly enough in the Orissa Famine of 1866-1867
4) Attempted to alleviate the famine conditions by Importing 40.000 tons of food supplies
5) In 1866 the Monsoon season had begun
6) Proved difficult for an effective supply chain tob e established
7) Death toll ist between 4 and 5 million people
8) Famine Commission was set up to prevent
9) Increased Infrastructure development in Orissa
10) India had exported 200 million pounds of rice to Britain
- Viceroy Lawrence – Afghanistan – unstable
- „masterly inaction“
- doing nothing and wainting what happening
Viceroy Lord Lytton: April 1876 – June 1889
- vernacular press act (1878)
- the publication of regional newspapers in regional dialects
- causes that you do not trust the news because you can not really read them
- famine 1876-1877
- death toll was about 5-7 million
- trade policy
- on the one hand suffering population
- on the other hand all the money shipped all over the world
- criticism of nationalists
January 1878 was a celebration of Victoria as Empress of India
o Negative aspects:
o Victoria has never been to India
o Little connection with his populationBritish govt saw Afghanistan as a ‚buffer’ against Russia – Russia pursuing it’s own imperial ambitions
- European competition
- Lord Lytton = responsible fort he development oft he British troops during the 2nd Anglo Afghan war
- Fighting – Anglo Zulu war in Africa
- Treaty of Gandamak = successful for British interests
- 2nd Anglo Afghan war – short, huge loss of life, guerrilla warfare
- Lieberals heavely criticised Disraeli and his Conservative govt
Fun Fact: What connection does a tortoise have with the cimean war?
- Timothy is a turtle and is actually a she
- Last survivor of the Cimean war (d.2004)
- She was ship’s mascot on the HMS Queen which took part in the bombardment of Sevastopol
Background – British/Russia tension
- Russia turning towards Asia for expansion
- Summer 1878: Un- invited diplomatic mission to Kabul, Afghanistan
- Sher Ali Khan (the Amir) tried to keep the Russian’s away.
14th August 1878: British demand to send a diplomatic mission
The Amir refused to receive the mission and even threatened to stop it if it was dispatched
- Viceroy Lord Lytton sends diplomatic mission – reaches the Khyber pass
- The Khyber pass marks the border – strategically the best crossing point
- Once at the Khyber pass – mission is turned away
o Trigger for the 2nd Anglo Afghan war - Lytton commits troops before the British Parliament can authorise
‘Man on the spot’
20.000 troops – Indian, British
- The Emir- appeals to Russia
- dies in Feburary 1879
- Successor- Yaqub Khan
- Treaty of Gandamak
What did the Amir sign over?
- Control of Afghanistan’s foreign relations
- Allowed a British Mission to go to Kabul
- Key areas of land including the Khyber pass was to be transferred to the British
- It also enabled a telephone line to be established between Kabul and British India
Mohammed Yaqub Khan was also to receive an annual subsidy (6000.000 rupees)
September 1879: The British representative in Kabul and the Mission were killed
- Major General Sir Frederick Rogers led an attack force
- 6th October: Defeats the Afghan army at Char Asib
- 8th October: Reaches Kabul
- December 1879: 10.000 Afghan troops launch siege but fail to maintain it
- Resulted in the collapse of the Afghan attack force
Aftermath of 2nd Anglo Afghan War
1) Mohammed Yaqub Khan is obliged to abdicate
2) British had to choose:
a) Partitioning Afghanistan between several rulers
b) Installing Yaqub Khan’s brother as a ruler
3) British chose to install his brother, Abdul Rahman Khan as ruler
4) Abdul Rahman Khan confirms the Treaty of Gandamak
5) Britain acknowledges it will not have a Mission, nor a representative in Kabul – instead there will be Indian Muslims acting of the British
Has Britain abandoned Afghanistan?
- Still has control of foreign relations
- Indian Muslims are allowed to Kabul