Great Game Thinking: The British Foreign Office and Revolutionary Russia

Abstract

While the revolution of October 1917 may have ushered a new regime into Moscow, many within the British government continued to view Russia through the lens of the Great Game. For decades, the Great Game had defined relations between the two countries, and while the Anglo-Russian Convention and the Triple Entente had created the illusion of friendship, this was simply a marriage of convenience. Thus, when revolution and civil war broke out in Russia, men such as Lord George Curzon rushed at the opportunity to try to seize the upper hand and win the game. Unfortunately for Curzon, times had changed and countries such as Persia were no longer happy to be mere pawns in a game.