University Libraries

Produced by Adam Matthew, this area studies database features primary and secondary resources of relevance to the study of 19th and 20th century foreign relations between Great Britain and China and Southeast Asia. In addition, the archive includes two modules on the economic history of Asia.

Events covered include independence and partition, the Indian annexation of Hyderabad and Goa, war between India and Pakistan, tensions and war between India and China, the consolidation of power of the Congress Party in India, military rule in Pakistan, the turbulent independence of Bangladesh and the development of nuclear weapons in the region.

This resource provides digital access to official British government records relating to the region, from the decline of the Silk Road, through the diplomatic confrontation between the British and Russian Empires, to the influence of the emergent Soviet Union in the 20th century. Records include correspondence and eyewitness accounts from that document the Anglo-Afghan Wars; the perspectives of Afghan and Persian rulers on foreign activities in the region; the interplay between China and Russia; and the expansion and fall of the Russian Empire. Available materials include Foreign Office Files, correspondence, diaries, maps and newspaper articles.