What main objectives did the British and Russian Empires pursue in the Research Paper

What main objectives did the British and Russian Empires pursue in the course of the Great Game in Central Asia and Afghanistan - Research Paper Example This rivalry spanned years and periods in the lives of the people affected by the rivalry. It also went through different phases in for the countries concerned. This paper shall now discuss the objectives which the British and Russian Empires had in the course of the Great Game in Central Asia and Afghanistan. It shall provide the historical beginnings of the rivalry, including its highlights and significant events. It shall also discuss the significant objectives which the empires had in the Great Game. It shall also highlight the rivalry of the empires in Afghanistan and in Central Asia, as well as the impact and the overall goals achieved in these nations by these empires. Body Britain and Russia were involved in a major rivalry in Central Asia at the start of the nineteenth century; this went on to the early 1900s (Szczepanski, 2011). Much of Britain’s reasons for wanting control and influence over Central Asia have been tied in with its goal to establish a British India. Russia, on the other hand, was seeking to increase its territory as a means of establishing the largest empire in the world, and if gaining India from Britain would ensure this goal then it was willing to secure any means to conquer India (Szczepanski, 2011). ... This convention also set forth the border zone between these two empires, and later declared Afghanistan part of the British protectorate. Despite the establishment of this convention, the relationship between these two empires remained strained and tension-filled. This tension was somehow minimized when these territories allied with each other during the First World War. Specific details of this â€Å"Great Game† shall be discussed forthwith. In the latter part of the 19th century, the Russian and British Empire showed stirrings of a conflicting and tense meet-up. As Russia was expanding its power and territories to its east and southern borders, Britain’s power over its empire and territories was being threatened (Johnson, 2006). When British interests in India were also threatened, Britain became fully determined to secure its interests. This period marked a major rivalry between these two empires, and this ‘Great Game’ became clearly apparent in Europe and well into the Far Eastern region of Asia (Johnson, 2006). Prompted by Russia’s seeming interest in India, Britain increased its military activities in Afghanistan and Tibet, and many of these military activities were often disastrous for the countries involved (Johnson, 2006). From the early 18th to mid-19th centuries, Russia exercised its power over India which was then under British control. The Russians were not able to gain as much progress in terms of empirical conquests in the 1700s and 1800s, but in the 19th century, they were seriously posing a threat on India. The distance between the British and Russian empires was also starting to close in, and both empires were now aiming to conquer as much land as the land that lay between