Great Britain and Russia on the Way to Restoring Diplomatic Relations (1720–1731)

2021 ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Tatyana Labutina
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Diplomatic Relations ◽  
Trade Volume ◽  
Historical Science ◽  
Significant Damage ◽  
Military Conflicts ◽  
Foreign Office ◽  
British Foreign Office ◽  
The Russian Empire

The article deals with the process of restoring diplomatic relations between Great Britain and Russia in the first third of the 18th century. England was the first country with which Russia established diplomatic relations 465 years ago. During this time, the countries have passed a difficult and thorny path of interaction. Often there were open military conflicts between them, and sometimes it simply came to the severance of diplomatic relations. One of these events occurred in the reign of Peter I on 14 December in 1720 year. Although diplomatic relations were interrupted, trade between the states continued to develop. The trade volume was reduced due to political tensions, which caused significant damage to the economy of England. In this regard, the British began to take active steps to establish diplomatic relations. The analysis of the correspondence between two British diplomats, T. Ward and C. Rondeau, and the Secretary of State of Great Britain, first undertaken in historical science, the author concludes that it was England that initiated the restoration of diplomatic relations, primarily to strengthen the position of the English merchants in Russia. The analysis of the ambassadors' dispatches gives valuable insights as to the strategy and tactics of the British Foreign Office in relation to Russia during the reign of Anna Ioannovna, as well as the motives that guided the diplomats involved in the preparatory process of establishing relations between the countries. The correspondence of the diplomats provides an opportunity to get acquainted with both their official and “secret” intelligence activities, which allows the author identify the true intentions of British diplomacy: to comprehensively study a potential rival which the British imagined Russia to be. It is also of great interest to learn more about how their mission went, what impressions they got from their visit to our country, what assessments they made about the top officials in the administration of the Russian Empire, as well as about the Russian people in general.

Heinrich Gross of Würtemberg: A Diplomat on Elizabeth Petrovna's Service

2021 ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Maksim Anisimov
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Russian Empire ◽  
Foreign Affairs ◽  
Diplomatic Relations ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
The Enlightenment ◽  
The Russian Empire ◽  
The 19Th Century

Heinrich Gross was a diplomat of the Empress of Russia Elizabeth Petrovna, a foreigner on the Russian service who held some of the most important diplomatic posts of her reign. As the head of Russian diplomatic missions in European countries, he was an immediate participant in the rupture of both Franco-Russian and Russo-Prussian diplomatic relations and witnessed the beginning of the Seven Years' War, while in the capital of Saxony, besieged by Prussian troops. After that H. Gross was one of the members of the collective leadership of the Russian Collegium of Foreign Affairs. So far there is only one biographic essay about him written in the 19th century. The aims of this article are threefold. Using both published foreign affairs-related documentation and diplomatic documents stored in the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, it attempts to systematize the materials of the biography of this important participant in international events. It also seeks to assess his professional qualities and get valuable insight into his role both in the major events of European politics and in the implementation of the foreign policy of the Russian Empire in the mid-18th century. Moreover, the account of the diplomatic career of H. Gross presented in this essay aims to generate genuine interest among researchers in the personality and professional activities of one of the most brilliant Russian diplomats of the Enlightenment Era.

Great Britain, France, and the Ethiopian Tripartite Treaty of 1906

1981 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 364-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward C. Keefer
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
Foreign Minister ◽  
Good Faith ◽  
Horn Of Africa ◽  
Unfinished Business ◽  
General Satisfaction ◽  
The Third ◽  
Foreign Office ◽  
Object Lesson ◽  
British Foreign Office

In assessing the events which brought Great Britain and France from the edge of war at Fashoda in 1898 to the alliance of 1914, scholars have paid little attention to the settlement of Anglo-French differences in the independent African empire of Ethiopia. The resolution of Ethiopian problems in 1906 was nonetheless important in forging close Anglo-French relations, especially when viewed within the context of the better-known Entente Cordiale of 1904. By excluding Anglo-French conflicting Ethiopian interests from the already difficult entente negotiations, British and French statesmen removed a potential stumbling block to that important and seminal agreement. In a more positive vein, the subsequent signing of a separate Tripartite Treaty on Ethiopia—the Italians were the third signatory—actively reinforced the Entente Cordiale itself. To the French the Ethiopian agreement was a confirmation of British good faith in implementing the spirit of the entente beyond areas specified in the more important accord of 1904. To the British it was an object lesson that certain imperial interests in Ethiopia should not jeopardize generally improving relations with France. To both countries the Tripartite Treaty of 1906 tidied unfinished business of the entente and eliminated to each nation's general satisfaction a nagging local conflict.French Foreign Minister Theophile Delcassé had wanted to include Ethiopia in the entente agreement. During the course of the negotiations he suggested to his English counterpart Lord Lansdowne a “comprehensive settlement” of colonial-imperial differences. While individuals in the British Foreign Office considered adding Ethiopia to the larger rapprochement over Egypt and Morocco, the British cabinet decided to postpone Ethiopian matters until after conclusion of the Entente Cordiale. In good part this decision reflected respect for the complexity of strategic, financial, and personal rivalries of the two great imperial powers in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.

scholarly journals To the History of Commission for the Eradication of Misuse of Power in the Taurida Province

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-55
Author(s):  
Alexander S. Kravchuk ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Russian State ◽  
Military Conflicts ◽  
Land Relations ◽  
The Crimea ◽  
History Of ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Russian Empire

This article examines work of The Commission for the eradication of misuse of power in the Taurida Governorate, which existed in 1816–1819. The sources used for this study include documents from the Russian State Historical Archive and State Archive of the Republic of Crimea. This organization was established by the central authorities to examine the work of the local administration and illegal acquisition of land by officials. Members of ruling circle believed that the key to incorporation of the Crimea into the Russian Empire lay in regulation of land relations and bringing order to the bureaucracy work. That is why the first land commission in Crimea was created at the end of 18th century. Massive malpractice on the part of the Russian civil servants was a widespread phenomenon after the French invasion in Russia in 1812. Nevertheless, in Crimea the situation was more large-scale. Members of the Commission members identified numerous violations of laws. Moreover, local bureaucracy and Taurida civil governor A. M. Borozdin were under investigation. In this situation, in most cases Crimean Tatars suffered, which affected their loyalty to the Russian administration. Permanent military conflicts with Ottoman Empire and the lack of resources for the development of frontier areas forced high officials to seek compromise solutions. The local bureaucracy was not interested in investigating the cases of malpractice and sabotaged the work of the Commission. Moreover, the majority of the members of the Commission was involved in trial. This factor led to the creation of a new Committee under the Ministry of internal Affairs in 1819.

«Asian Backstage Diplomacy» in Building Bridges Between the USSR and Great Britain in 1924

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
А.А. Улунян
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Military Officers ◽  
British India ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Archival Documents ◽  
Foreign Office ◽  
British Foreign Office ◽  
Soviet Central Asia

В статье исследуется роль и место «азиатской периферии» в период установления британо-российских отношений в 1924 г. Британские архивные документы позволяют сделать вывод о сохранявшейся значимости для британской стороны действий СССР в сопредельных с британской Индией странах. Одновременно британские дипломатические службы и разведывательное сообщество обращало особое внимание на складывавшуюся в советской Центральной Азии обстановку с целью выяснения возможного её влияния на британские позиции в регионе, а также советское продвижение на Восток в приграничные государства. В статье делается вывод о стремлении лейбористского правительства Макдональда избежать обострения взаимоотношений с СССР во имя достижения главной цели – подписания и ратификации договоров с Москвой несмотря на очевидные активные действия последней в индийском прикордонье. Автор приводит документальные свидетельства и оценки британскими дипломатами, а также военными действий СССР как в самой Центральной Азии, где советское руководство начинало проводить новую национально-территориальную политику, так и в приграничных с ней странах. The study examines the role of the Asian periphery in the establishment of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Great Britain in 1924. British archival documents suggest that the United Kingdom regarded Soviet activities in countries bordering British India as extremely important. At the same time, the British foreign office and intelligence were paying close attention to the situation that was unfolding in Soviet Central Asia, trying to assess its impact on the British standing in the region, as well as the possible Soviet expansion eastwards into the neighboring countries. The article concludes that MacDonald's Labour government wanted to avoid confrontation with the USSR in order to attain its main goal — signing and ratifying agreements with the Soviet state, despite it being rather active near the borders of India. The author cites documents and assessments by British diplomats and military officers. These sources cover both Soviet actions in Central Asia itself, where the USSR leadership was beginning to pursue a new national and territorial policy, as well as in the countries bordering that region.

scholarly journals Thorny Way to the East: Expedition to China of Adviser to the Chancellery V. F. Bratishchev in 1757

2021 ◽  
pp. 290-303
Author(s):  
Yu. G. Blagoder
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Far East ◽  
Russian Empire ◽  
Historical Event ◽  
Historical Science ◽  
Main Attention ◽  
Ruling Elite ◽  
Documentary Sources ◽  
Archival Documents ◽  
The Russian Empire

The facts testifying to the intention of the Russian Empire in the middle of the 18th century to establish equal mutually beneficial relations with China is present-ed in the article. Fragments of archival documents (decrees, memoranda, instructions, reports, etc.) about the expedition of the courier V. F. Bratishchev are given. The main attention is paid to the analysis of documents, which provide descriptions of the long preparation of the diplomatic vis-it, negotiations of V. F. Bratishchev with Qing officials in China. The degree of informativeness of documentary sources is assessed. The documents demonstrate the serious intention of the Russian administration to resolve political and economic issues through negotiations that would allow the Russian Empire to strengthen its position in the Far East. The article notes the principles of functioning of the administrative system of the Russian Empire in the middle of the 18th century. The author of this article considers the diplomatic visit of V. F. Bratishchev to be an example of the clash between the principles of Eurocentrism, which were actively gaining positions in the policy of the Russian ruling elite, and the ideas of the inhabitants of the Middle Empire about the superiority of their own civilization, surrounded by barbarians. Studying this historical event and taking into account the diplomatic mistakes made are relevant both for historical science and modern political interstate interaction.

Some Principal Aspects of British Efforts to Crush The African Slave Trade, 1807-1929

1950 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Hazen Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
International Law ◽  
Slave Trade ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
Prime Mover ◽  
African Slave ◽  
Foreign Office ◽  
British Foreign Office ◽  
Involuntary Servitude

One function of the British Foreign Office has been to promote the universal abolition of slavery, the slave trade, and analogous forms of involuntary servitude. It has been said that “International co-operation for the suppression of the African slave trade was one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century.” If this is so, it should not be a superfluous task to consider the legal aspects of the principal methods which the prime mover, Great Britain, employed to achieve this effect. The literature of international law contains excellent material on certain features of the problem, but little material on the most productive and decisive phases of the policy. The object of this article is to show what those phases were, without dealing with their political side any more than seems absolutely necessary for clarity.

Introduction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asle Toje
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Present State ◽  
Foreign Affairs ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Policy Debate ◽  
Imperial Germany ◽  
Secretary Of State ◽  
Foreign Office ◽  
British Foreign Office ◽  
German Parliament

We do not want to place anyone into the shadow, we also claim our place in the sun.” In a foreign policy debate in the German parliament on December 6. 1897 the German Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Bernhard von Bülow, articulated the foreign policy aspirations of the ascendant Wilhelmine Germany. This proved easier said than done. In 1907, Eyre Crowe of the British Foreign Office penned his famous memorandum where he accounted for “the present state of British relations with France and Germany.” He concluded that Britain should meet imperial Germany with “unvarying courtesy and consideration” while maintaining “the most unbending determination to uphold British rights and interests in every part of the globe.”...

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