Great Britain, China and the Status of Tibet, 1914–21

The decade preceding the First World War, with the Younghusband expedition, the Chinese forward movement in Tibet of 1909–11, and the Simla Conference of 1913–14, is naturally the period of Anglo-Tibetan relations that has been most thoroughly covered by historians. It could indeed be argued that, o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Modern Asian studies 1976-10, Vol.10 (4), p.481-508
Main Author: Christie, Clive
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bilateralism
Friendship
Government relations
International agreements
Lamas
Memoranda
Political debate
Territories
Treaties
World wars
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Summary:The decade preceding the First World War, with the Younghusband expedition, the Chinese forward movement in Tibet of 1909–11, and the Simla Conference of 1913–14, is naturally the period of Anglo-Tibetan relations that has been most thoroughly covered by historians. It could indeed be argued that, on the surface at least, the relationship forged between British India and Tibet by the conclusion of the Simla Conference remained unchanged and largely unchallenged until the transfer of power to an independent Indian Government. This seeming stability, however, masks a debate over Tibetan policy within the British and Indian Governments that was particularly intense during the years 1919–21, and which reflected Britain's nervousness over the political instability of north Asia as a whole during and after the First World War. Before the First World War, the ‘problem’ of Tibet was largely a parochial issue for the British Indian Government, but at the conclusion of the First World War this ‘problem’ had become an important ingredient of a much wider debate on the overall direction of post-war British policy in Asia.
ISSN:0026-749X
1469-8099
DOI:10.1017/S0026749X0001492X