Ростислав Фадејев и Источно питање
Rostislav Fadeev and the Eastern Question

Summary/Abstract: Big changes which took place in Europe in the sixties and seventies ofthe 19th century also reflected on society. In Russia, a new intellectual movement emerged – Pan­-Slavism, which often worked to the benefit of the official foreign policy of the Russian Empire. The leading publicist of Russian Pan­-Slavism was Rostislav Andreyevich Fadeyev (1824–1884), a resigning general. His basic idea concerning the Eastern Question was to initiate a pan-Balkan uprising, to be joined by the Russian Empire, leading to the liberation and unification of all Slavs into a pan­-Slavic federation, seated in Tsarigrad, under the auspices of the Russian Tsar. The necessary condition precedent for the establishment of a common Slavic state was the destruction of Austria-Hungary. That was exactly the essence of Russian Pan­-Slavism. Highly interested in solving the Eastern Question “in Russian spirit“, R. A. Fadeyev saw his opportunity in the outbreak of the Great Eastern Crisis (1875–1878). Between 1876 and 1878, with the support of the highest Russian officials, general Fadeyev travelled to the Balkans on several occasions, trying to influence the course of events there by his actions. His activity was embodied in the whole-hearted support to Bulgarians because Tsarigrad, by its nature, was accessible only via Bulgaria. He strongly believed that with military cooperation between Balkan allies and the Russian Empire, Tsarigrad could fall into the Russian hands. The Treaty of Berlin represented a great defeat for Russian Pan­-Slavism. As a typical representative of Russian Pan-Slavists, during the Berlin meetings of the European powers’ delegates, general Fadeyev, with the support of Russian officials, tried to instigate new turmoil in the Balkans; however, that was no longer possible.

• Details
• Contents