The Role of Russia in the Entente in Mikhail Pokrovsky's Evaluations

The aim of the article is to consider the views of Mikhail Pokrovsky on the role of Russia in the Entente as they are not sufficiently covered in the scientific literature. The issues of relations between Russia and the allies-Britain and France-were in demand in the early Soviet historiography in connection with the tasks of identifying positions of Russia in the system of European imperialism, the study of the history of the First World War. Pokrovsky turned to the problem of balance of power in the Entente in many of his works devoted to the foreign policy of Russia in the early 20th century and the history of the Russian revolutionary movement. He expressed his views before the revolution, but mostly developed the problem in the Soviet period. Pokrovsky's works reflected the specific historiographical situation of 1918 - early 1930s, associated with the adoption of Marxism in historical science, changes in the internal and external political life of the country. In addition, Pokrovsky was extremely biased and inconsistent in his judgments, which prevented a holistic understanding of the scientific problem. He was contradictory in assessing the specifics of Russian imperialism, the degree of Russia's responsibility for the outbreak of the First World War. At the same time, we can talk about the development of his views and general conceptual points in different periods. Pokrovskygave an ambiguous assessment to the position of Russia in the Entente. In economic terms, he did not consider Russia as an equal ally of England and France, but never questioned its diplomatic role, the ability to influence the allies and defend its interests. This contradiction between the economic and diplomatic status of Russia was reflected in Pokrovsky's determination of the decisive factor of Russia's entry into the First World War. In 1918-1926, he considered the impact of the global economic situation; from 1927, the economic dependence on the allies; in 1932, Russia's own tasks. Pokrovsky's contradictory views were interpreted by his contemporaries in different ways depending on the requirements of the time. In the late 1920s, Pokrovsky was credited for his thesis of Russia's dependent position in the Entente; in the early 1930s, against the background of the struggle against Trotskyism, for the opposite thesis about the independent interests of Russia in the international arena. With the publication of the book The History of the CPSU(b). A Short Course, Pokrovsky's views were severely criticized, though some of his conclusions corresponded to the basic ideas of the book and the new historiographical situation. Pokrovsky's works became an important milestone in the conceptual understanding of Russia's foreign policy of the early 20th century and its role in the Entente from Marxist positions. Pokrovsky identified the main problematic issues and directions of scientific research.

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