The Great Russian Ball at the Academy of Music, New York by Winslow Homer, 1863.Īs the American Civil War unfolded, Tsar Alexander II pledged in a letter to President Abraham Lincoln that Russia supported the “maintenance of the American Union as one ‘indivisible nation.’” In 1863, the Tsarist state dispatched part of its fleet to the ports of New York and San Francisco with visits to Boston and Washington. In addition to the Tsar, several participants of the 1825 Decembrist Revolt were also influenced by the American Republic. After the Revolution, the liberal-minded Tsar Alexander I famously corresponded with Thomas Jefferson and expressed his “great esteem” for the American project, which he viewed as a potential model for reform in Russia. Russian neutrality proved significant for the victory of the American rebels. The Empress was sympathetic to the colonists and believed that an independent America would be beneficial to Russian commercial interests in North America. During the Revolutionary War, Russian Empress Catherine the Great decided to remain neutral in the conflict, despite British pleas for assistance. The original Thirteen Colonies began to engage in trade with Russia in 1763, in violation of the Navigation Acts. Russian Empress Catherine the Great by Fyodor Roktov, 1770. Keeping this complexity in mind, here are ten of the better moments in U.S.-Russian relations. These constructive episodes complicate a history that is often painted as invariably antagonistic. Although the bad episodes are clearly what most Americans remember about the relationship, there were many friendly moments as well. and Russia always been “enemies” as American political and media elites contend? History tells us otherwise. and Russia have never engaged in a hot war with one another, American pundits and politicians almost always cast Moscow as the perpetual “enemy” of American national interests-a view informed by antagonism between the U.S. Whether regarding Ukraine, Syria, or allegations of hacking in the 2016 American presidential election, those “mischievous Russkies” seem to be everywhere. Russians have featured prominently in the American press recently.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |