Russian liberal historians of early XX century on Russia's position in the Entente and its national interests

The essay analyzes Russia''s international position in the early XX century in the estimates of the pre-revolutionary liberal historiography. The historians advocated Russia''s participation in the Entente, stressed the im­portance of allied solidarity as the most important principle of the Tsarist government''s foreign policy. Britain and France were associated with expectations (often unnecessary) on the implementation of the national interests of Rus­sia and the maintenance of European equilibrium. The First World War in general did not change the attitude of Russian liberals to the allies. On the wave of patriotic enthusiasm in the beginning of the war, they sought to form a positive image of allies in Russian society. The historians studied the Entente countries as the bearers of progress and civilization who were fighting against German militarism. Russia had the opportunity to embody its national interests in the war of liberation. The Liberals hoped for the support of Britain and France in the solution of the Eastern ques­tion for the benefit of Russia. They noted that the transfer of the Black Sea Straits and Constantinople to Russia would be the common profit of the world. The value of the Entente for Russia, according to the Liberal historians, was not limited to the sphere of foreign policy. The development of relations with the allies, mostly with Britain, could contribute to the democratization of Russian political life. The views of the Liberal historians of the early XX century on Russian foreign policy are relevant for contemporary Russian historians who are in search for new re­search approaches and at the same time are trying to maintain continuity with the previous academic tradition.