Editing Benjamin Disraeli (section)

====Afghanistan to Zululand====
{{main|Second Anglo-Afghan War|Anglo-Zulu War}}
[[File:Battle in Afghanistan.jpg|thumb|right|A depiction of the [[Battle of Kandahar (1880)|Battle of Kandahar]], fought in 1880. Britain's victory in the Second Anglo-Afghan War proved a boost to Disraeli's government.]]

As successful invasions of India generally came through Afghanistan, the British had observed and sometimes intervened there since the 1830s, hoping to keep the Russians out. In 1878 the Russians sent a mission to Kabul; it was not rejected by the Afghans, as the British had hoped. The British proposed to send their own mission, insisting that the Russians be sent away. The Viceroy of India [[Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton|Lord Lytton]] concealed his plans to issue this ultimatum from Disraeli, and when the Prime Minister insisted he take no action, went ahead anyway. When the Afghans made no answer, [[Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranbrook|Lord Cranbrook]] as Secretary of State for War, ordered the advance against them in the [[Second Anglo-Afghan War]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=KLEIN |first=IRA |date=1974 |title=WHO MADE THE SECOND AFGHAN WAR? |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41930144 |journal=Journal of Asian History |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=97–121 |issn=0021-910X}}</ref> Under [[Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts|Lord Roberts]], the British easily defeated them and installed a new ruler, leaving a mission and garrison in [[Kabul]].<ref>Blake (1967), pp. 658–663</ref>

British policy in South Africa was to encourage federation between the British-run [[Cape Colony]] and [[Colony of Natal|Natal]], and the [[Boer republics]], the [[South African Republic|Transvaal]] (annexed by Britain in 1877) and the [[Orange Free State]]. The governor of Cape Colony, [[Sir Bartle Frere]], believing that the federation could not be accomplished until the native tribes acknowledged British rule, made demands on the [[Zulu people|Zulu]] and their king, [[Cetewayo]], which they were certain to reject. As Zulu troops could not marry until they had washed their spears in blood, they were eager for combat. Frere did not send word to the cabinet of what he had done until the ultimatum was about to expire. Disraeli and the cabinet reluctantly backed him, and in early January 1879 resolved to send reinforcements. Before they could arrive, on 22 January, a Zulu ''[[impi]]'' (army), moving with great speed and endurance, destroyed a British encampment in South Africa in the [[Battle of Isandlwana]]. Over a thousand British and colonial troops were killed. Word of the defeat did not reach London until 12 February.<ref>Blake (1967), pp. 666–672</ref> Disraeli wrote the next day, "the terrible disaster has shaken me to the centre".<ref>Aldous, p. 293</ref> He reprimanded Frere, but left him in charge, attracting fire from all sides. Disraeli sent General [[Sir Garnet Wolseley]] as High Commissioner and Commander in Chief, and Cetewayo and the Zulus were crushed at the [[Battle of Ulundi]] on 4 July 1879.<ref>Blake (1967), pp. 671–672</ref>

On 8 September 1879 [[Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari|Sir Louis Cavagnari]], in charge of the mission in Kabul, was killed with his entire staff by rebelling [[Military history of Afghanistan|Afghan soldiers]]. Roberts undertook a successful punitive expedition against the Afghans over the next six weeks.<ref>Blake (1967), p. 675</ref>