 The rivalry between the British and the Russian Empires , named " The Great Game " by Arthur Conolly , centred on Afghanistan during the late 19th century . From the British perspective , Russian expansion threatened to destroy the so @-@ called " jewel in the crown " of the British Empire , India . As the Tsar 's troops in Central Asia began to subdue one Khanate after another , the British feared that Afghanistan would become a staging post for a Russian invasion . Against this background the British launched the First Anglo @-@ Afghan War in 1838 , and attempted to impose a puppet regime under Shuja Shah . The regime was short @-@ lived , however , and unsustainable without British military support . After the Russians sent an uninvited diplomatic mission to Kabul in 1878 , tensions were renewed and Britain demanded that the ruler of Afghanistan ( Sher Ali Khan ) accept a British diplomatic mission . The mission was turned back and , in retaliation , a force of 40 @,@ 000 men was sent across the border by the British , launching the Second Anglo @-@ Afghan War . 
