A Natural Community of Interests and Sympathies: Russia and America in the 19^th Century

This brief review of the first century of Russian-American relations seeks to explain why the profound conflict between the ideological foundations of the two states — an autocratic empire and a democratic republic — did not hamper the relations between them for a long time. Focusing on such events as the American War of Independence, Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, and the American Civil War, the study, informed by neoclassical realism and philosophy of culture, discusses the logic of political and sociocultural interactions between the two states over a period shaped by great historical upheavals and social transformations. Autocratic Russia despite its ideological basis welcomed the birth of the American republic, helped it to survive, grow, overcome its internal divisions, and rise to a world power status. This seeming paradox is explained primarily by the historical-specific configuration of the national interests of Russia and the USA. The geographical distance between the two countries precluded geopolitical conflicts between them, while Russia’s role in the rivalries between the great powers of Europe corresponded to the geopolitical interests of the USA. Unlike West European powers, Russia did not object to the US drive for hegemony on the American continent, and neither did the US obstruct Russia’s territorial expansion in Eurasia. Geopolitical cooperation was reinforced by the mutual interest in trade. The congruence between the two countries' national interests was discovered during the American War of Independence and continued to exist until the early 20th century. The ruling elites on both sides kept the inherent ideological conflict between Russia and America from undermining the two nations’ cooperation. In times of liberal reforms in Russia, regarded in the US as proof of the universality of American ideas, the ideological conflict seemed to wane, but Russian- American cooperation continued even under more repressive Russian regimes. The situation changed when a combination of international and domestic factors caused frictions between their national interests and spurred their ideological conflict. The two countries’ expansionist drives in the North Pacific region made them rivals in the struggle for regional influence. Meanwhile, turbulent changes in American society in the late 19th – early 20th centuries generated an intensive reaffirmation of the American national creed. The new ideologization of America targeted Russian crisis-stricken tsarism as a system opposed to democratic values. American public opinion shifted from friendship with Russian tsars to advocacy of Russian freedom. This case study contributes insights into the historical evolution of Russian-American relations and the general problem of the role of ideology in international relations. 

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