![]() ![]() The accounts of the main protagonists – and some histories of the period – suggest that this was a fraught and tense period in relations between the two Empires, during which, despite external courteous and ‘gentlemanly’ behaviour, ruthless intrigue was threatening peace and stability and that war was only narrowly avoided – the blame for which was generally attributed to the other side of the border from that on which the observer was standing.Ī dispassionate look at the official record of diplomatic intercourse between the two Powers, however, shows that, during the whole period, each behaved according to fairly clear and consistent rules. “The Game was indeed one of high stakes: the players came into close territorial contact and friction was inevitable. I disagree with some of the emphasis in Hopkirk’s book, notably in my conclusions in the following extracts:ġ. I have updated my own chapter on the Great Game from the Odyssey book it can be dowloaded here. Surprisingly, and perhaps illegally, the full text of the revised 2006 edition can be accessed on h. Much has been written about this period, most notably by Peter Hopkirk in his classic The Great Game, first published in 1990 by John Murray, London. ![]() The “Great Game” describes British and Russian rivalry for influence and control in Central Asia during the period from the mid 19th until the early 20th century. ![]()
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