Between Diplomacy and Intrigue: Informal Aspects of Franco-Russian Relations in 1870s-1880s

Abstract

The article deals with the informal aspects of the preparation of the Franco-Russian rapprochement in the 1870s–1880s, which later resulted in the military alliance concluded in 1894 between France and Russia. The authors consider the process of formation and strengthening of many informal networks that contributed to the emergence of a favorable basis for concluding an alliance between countries. Particular attention in the article is paid to the specifics of the activities of the salons of E.E. Trubetskoy and J. Adam, which became a platform for establishing personal contacts between persons aimed at the alliance of France and Russia. The authors dwell on a detailed analysis of the formed ties between French and Russian intellectuals, the point of contact of which was the formation of “cultural pan-Slavism”. In this regard, the activity of the editor of “Moskovskie Vedomosti” M.N. Katkov is highlighted and those vast networks and political influence that he managed to establish is identified. The authors come to the conclusion that the Franco-Russian rapprochement in the 1870s-1880s actively developed on the wave of the idea of revanchism in France and the popularity of pan-Slavism, as well as through the contacts and initiatives of individuals connected by a network of informal ties with the government circles of both states.