Discussion “The First Cold War: Anglo-Russian Relations in the 19th Century”

The launch of Barbara Emerson’s new book, The First Cold War: Anglo-Russian Relations in the 19th Century, which she will discuss with Dame Deborah Bronnert, former British Ambassador to Russia. A comprehensive history of Russo-British relations at the height of the imperial age, The First Cold War chronicles the clash of ambitions, diplomacy and tension, and the ensuing consequences.

For a few years after Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, Britain and Russia maintained a frosty civility. But their relations deteriorated as Nicholas I ascended the throne in 1825. Coming to power in the wake of the Decembrist uprising, his domestic and foreign policies were governed by the mantra of Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationality.  Not until Britain and Russia recognised that they had more to fear from Wilhelmine Germany did they largely set aside their rivalries in the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907, which also had major repercussions for the balance of power in Europe.

The 19th century was marked by distrust, diplomatic intrigue and regional conflicts, and Barbara Emerson presents the Russian perspective on this “game”, drawing on the archives of the Tsars’ Imperial Ministry.

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