The Russian-German Trade Agreement (1894) in the Context of the “New Course” of German Chancellor Caprivi

Abstract

Based on the materials of the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, the article investigates the history of the conclusion of the Russian-German trade agreement of 1894 in the context of Germany’s internal political development at the end of the 19th century. It includes a study of the relationship between various interest groups and political parties in the German Reichstag, as well as the general strategy of Chancellor L. von Caprivi (1890—1894) in foreign policy, foreign economic relations and the “new course” he announced in politics. The reports of the Russian Ambassador in Berlin regarding the course of the negotiations also make it possible to evaluate the position of the Russian Empire on such issues as Germany’s internal political development and Russian-German relations.