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The history of the delimitation of the Durand Line and the development of the Afghan state (1838-1898)

Posted on:1992-01-01Degree:Ph.DType:Dissertation
University:The University of Wisconsin - MadisonCandidate:Gulzad, Zalmay AhmadFull Text:PDF
GTID:1476390014498927Subject:History
Abstract/Summary:
The dissertation analyzes the dynamics of Anglo-Afghan relations in the nineteenth century, a case where peripheral factors figured prominently in Britain's drive towards imperial expansion. While previous studies stress Anglo-Russian rivalry in Asia as the main reason for British India's entanglement in Afghanistan, this study demonstrates how factors within Afghanistan provided important stimuli for British expansion.;This study focuses on Anglo-Afghan relations from 1838 to 1898, a period predominated by British attempts to annex Afghanistan into their Indian empire. Twice during this period, in 1839 and 1879, British Indian authorities endeavored to conquer Afghanistan. In neither instance did Czarist Russia threaten India or British interests in the region. Nor did economic factors figure prominently in the British policy to annex Afghanistan. Instead, evidence suggests that initially British Indian officers, eager to widen their sphere of power, encouraged an aggressive policy towards Afghanistan. Furthermore, certain key policy makers within the empire feared Afghanistan's ability to instigate internal instability in India. To neutralize this "Afghan bogey", British Indian authorities embarked on a policy to subdue Afghanistan. The failure of this policy motivated British strategists to push for the partition of Afghanistan, whereby the Afghan state lost a large body of its fighting forces.;Another important facet developed throughout the study is the impact of Anglo-Afghan relations on the development of nationhood and statehood in Afghanistan. By the end of the nineteenth century Afghanistan emerged from a tribal confederation into a territorial state, but it lacked the necessary infrastructure to become a modern polity. Hostile Anglo-Afghan interactions fostered the growth of a national identity in Afghanistan, which especially under the reign of Amir Abdur Rahman (1880-1901) was promoted through state policies. While Afghan nationalism helped retain Afghanistan's independence, it also contributed to the rise of xenophobia that hindered Afghanistan's progression into becoming a modern state.
Keywords/Search Tags:Afghan, State, British
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