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Empire: World History

81. The Graveyard of Empires

Empire: World History

Goalhanger

History

4.55.4K Ratings

🗓️ 19 September 2023

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

After the calamitous retreat from Kabul left thousands of British dead, the East India Company wants revenge. They will call upon the Army of Retribution which will leave Afghanistan, once the Crossroads of Civilisation, a desolate wasteland. But once the last sepoy has descended the Khyber Pass, who will rule Afghanistan - and how will the Russians respond? Listen as William and Anita finish the story of the First Anglo-Afghan War and discuss whether Afghanistan really is the Graveyard of Empires, and whether China will be the next foreign power to burn its fingers in the Afghan furnace. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

If you want access to bonus episodes reading lists for every series of empire, a chat community,

0:06.7

discounts for all the books mentioned in the week's podcast, add free listening and a weekly

0:11.5

newsletter, sign up to Empire Club at

0:14.4

W.

0:15.1

W. Empire pod UK.com. Hello Empire Podcast

0:26.7

Podcast listeners Anita here.

0:28.1

This episode is going to be one perhaps if you're of a delicate disposition or you've got small children

0:34.2

or even slightly bigger children who don't like gory story you may not want to listen to it

0:39.7

with them anyway just a friendly warning on with a show.

0:42.8

It is said that the English entered Afghanistan a second time, merely to bribe the Afghans allowing them into passage,

1:04.0

leaving thousands more dead behind, paying compensation double the value to the owners of the property they destroyed,

1:10.0

and then revealing their true nature by demolishing the markets of Kabul and returning to India.

1:16.0

They had hoped to establish themselves in Afghanistan to block any Russian advance, but for all the

1:20.9

treasures they expended, for all the lives they expended for all the lives they sacrificed the only result was ruin and

1:26.4

Disgrace if the English had been able to take and keep Afghanistan would they have ever left a country where 44 different types of grape grow and

1:36.0

other fruits as well, apples, pomegranates, pears, rub mulberries,

1:41.4

sweet watermelon and musk melon, apricots and peaches, and ice water that cannot

1:46.6

be found in all the plains of India.

1:49.6

These Indians know neither how to dress nor how to eat. God save me from the fire of their dahl and their miserable japatties.

1:56.8

Rude.

1:58.8

Anyway, those were the words of Mirza Atter, an Afghan who witnessed the British expedition in the Anglo-Afghan war reflecting

2:05.8

on the actions of the Army of Retribution.

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