Consider the following statements.Younghusband's Mission to Tibet (19...
Younghusband's Mission to Tibet (1904)
The mission led by Francis Younghusband to Tibet in 1904 was a significant event in the history of British-Indian relations with Tibet. It aimed to establish diplomatic relations and resolve the border dispute between Tibet and Bhutan. Let us examine the two statements given in the question:
1. Led to a temporary invasion by British Indian forces under the auspices of the Tibet Frontier Commission
The first statement is correct. Younghusband's mission to Tibet did result in a temporary invasion by British Indian forces. The mission was sent to negotiate with the Tibetan government and establish British influence in the region. However, when negotiations failed, the British Indian forces resorted to military action. They advanced into Tibet and captured the capital city of Lhasa, effectively bringing Tibet under British control.
This invasion was seen as a violation of Tibetan sovereignty and led to a significant backlash from the Tibetan government and people. The Dalai Lama, the spiritual and political leader of Tibet, was forced to flee to Mongolia, and Tibet was placed under a British military administration.
2. Intended to establish diplomatic relations and resolve the dispute over the border between Tibet and Bhutan
The second statement is incorrect. While the mission aimed to establish diplomatic relations, it did not specifically focus on resolving the border dispute between Tibet and Bhutan. The main objective of the mission was to secure British influence in Tibet and establish a buffer zone between British India and Russian territories in Central Asia.
The British were concerned about Russian expansion in the region and wanted to ensure that Tibet remained under their influence. The border dispute between Tibet and Bhutan was a separate issue that was not the primary focus of Younghusband's mission.
Therefore, the correct answer is option 'A,' which states that only the first statement is correct. The mission led to a temporary invasion by British Indian forces, but it did not specifically aim to resolve the border dispute between Tibet and Bhutan.
Consider the following statements.Younghusband's Mission to Tibet (19...
- The British expedition to Tibet, also known as the British invasion of Tibet or the Younghusband expedition to Tibet began in December 1903 and lasted until September 1904.
- The expedition was effectively a temporary invasion by British Indian forces under the Tibet Frontier Commission's auspices, whose purported mission was to establish diplomatic relations and resolve the dispute over the border between Tibet and Sikkim.
- In the nineteenth century, the British conquered Burma and Sikkim, occupying Tibet's whole southern flank.
- The Tibetan Ganden Phodrang regime, which was then under the Qing dynasty's administrative rule, remained the only Himalayan state free of British influence.
- The expedition was intended to counter Russia's perceived ambitions in the East and was initiated largely by Lord Curzon, the British India government's head.
- Curzon had long obsessed over Russia's advance into Central Asia and now feared a Russian invasion of British India.
In April 1903, the British received clear assurances from the Russian government that it had no interest in Tibet. 'In spite, however, of the Russian assurances, Lord Curzon continued to press for the dispatch of a mission to Tibet', a high level British political officer noted.