Signed on August 31, 1907, in
St. Petersburg, Russia, the
Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 brought shaky
British-Russian relations to the forefront by solidifying boundaries that identified respective control in
Persia,
Afghanistan, and
Tibet. This agreement seemingly ended a long-standing struggle for power that had gone on at the expense of less-developed regions throughout
Central Asia. Though these imperial powers had experienced relatively few major conflicts between them over the previous hundred years, an underlying rivalry, otherwise known as “
the Great Game”, had exacerbated the situation to such an extent that resolution was sought by the early 20th century. As a consequence of the Anglo-Russian agreement, they crushed any chance of Persian autonomy. The idea of a reformed Persian state was not what these powers had in mind; they enjoyed both stability and control in Persia and planned to keep it that way. Overall, the Convention represented a carefully calculated move on each power's part in which they chose to value a powerful alliance over potential sole control over various parts of Central Asia.