In 1904, the British sent an army into Tibet to secure it for Britain. It resulted in a massacre when the British opened fire with their new Maxim machine guns on Tibetans holding spears. The Dalai Lama was forced to flee the country. Over the next few decades, Tibet was oppressed by the British and China (also controlled by Britain, especially after the “Boxer Rebellion”) who sent in “the Butcher of Kham” to control Tibetan uprisings. When the 13th Dalai Lama finally died, he was replaced by Lhamo Dhondup, the current Dalai Lama, who was ratified by China’s new Kuomintang Government.
Cold War #269 – The Great Game (Tibet Part 2)
