«Russian mission in Persia» and the problem of mutual (mis)understanding in Russian-British relations in the late 19 – early 20 century

Abstract

The paper attempts to interpret the problem of Russian-British relations in Qajar Iran as a problem of mutual misunderstanding. It is postulated that the development of Russian-British relations in the 19th century (as well as their interpretation) took place in a situation of confrontation, which directly influenced the prospects for their improvement after the conclusion of the 1907 agreement. The both parties own languages of discussion and interpretation of Russian-British relations in Persia, developed over the decades of the Great Game, hindered the building of a productive constructive dialogue, driving political actors into the trap of already formed meanings and ideologemes. Thus, the concept of the Russian mission in Persia, which was significant for the Russian socio-political discourse, presupposed the legitimacy and justification of the widest Russian intervention in (Northern) Iran, the use of a wide variety of means of conducting its own policy. However, in the British society such approaches and interpretations did not find understanding, the language developed for discussing the Persian issue and Russian policy was invective in relation to Russia and did not allow adopting the meanings, organic for the latter. The understanding of this problem by the key actors did not lead to a fundamental change in the situation.