Russian foreign policy in the Ottoman Balkans (1856-1875) : N. P. Ignatiev and the Slavic Benevolent Committee

Abstract

Russia’s failure in the Crimean War opened a new era for Tsarist foreign policy in the second half of the nineteenth century, diminishing Russia’s prestige among the Western powers. In order to restore its prestige, Russia started to follow a revisionist foreign policy after the Paris Peace Agreement of 1856. This thesis analyzes the Russian ambassador N. P. Ignatiev’s pan- Slavist diplomacy methods and his role in shaping Russia’s foreign policy towards the Ottoman Balkans. Another aim of this study is to describe the Moscow Slavic Benevolent Committee (Moskovskii Slavianskii Blagotvaritelnii Komitet), which became an important instrument for Russian cultural and political propaganda in the South Eastern Europe. This study will provide insight to both Russia’s pan-Slavist foreign policy towards the Ottoman Balkans, and the Ottoman administration’s endeavors to struggle with Russian diplomatic actions.