One hundred years on: the Russian revolution and Anglo-Russian relations today

Abstract

ABSTRACTWhile Anglo-Russian relations have plummeted following the Skripal poisoning in March 2018 it is not the first time that the relationship between the two countries has broken down. But while many mark the Cold War as the start of the problems between Russia and Britain, their genesis extends much further back, to the Russian Revolution of 1917. The consequential deployment of British troops on Russian soil during the Allied Intervention, the violence of the Red Terror, and the inherent friction between British imperialism and revolutionary Bolshevism, created deep mistrust between the two countries. While the future of Anglo-Russian relations remains unclear, history has shown that Russia cannot be ignored. It will always have a role to play in Britain’s foreign affairs and in order to deal with Russia effectively, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office needs to increase its expertise on the country – including an understanding of Russian history.