Cadets and British Diplomatic Representatives in Russia: Two Views on Revolutionary Terror in 1905-1907

The article is devoted to a problem that domestic and foreign historiography has never studied: it compares the views of the British diplomats and of the Cadets on the revolutionary terror in Russia of the period of the first revolution. For the latter, the British constitutional order was a model to follow. The article is written on the basis of documents deposited in the United Kingdom National Archives (reports and notes of British ambassadors and consuls of this period), most of which were first introduced into scientific discourse, as well as on materials from the Cadet periodicals, materials from the Cadet congresses, and verbatim reports of the I and II State Dumas. The article uses a historical-typological method (for classifying opinions, characteristics of publications in the press), a historical-genetic method (in its content most relevant to the principle of historicism, helping to identify the causes of negative perception of terror by British diplomats), chronological, comparative, and systemic methods. The chronological scope of the study is limited to 1905-1907, when the revolutionary terror in Russia reached its peak. The study showed that, in the years 1905-1907, terror affected not only Russian citizens, but also British subjects, including representatives of the diplomatic service. The analysis of diplomatic correspondence revealed that the British, unlike the Russian left-wing liberals, were extremely negative about the revolutionary terror because it prevented the two countries from coming closer and signing a foreign policy agreement between them. British diplomats believed then that it was preferable to carry out the reform of Russia in a constitutional manner, while remaining within the law; therefore, they perceived revolutionary violence as hostile. They welcomed the decisive actions of the government to suppress terror and regarded the softness of the authorities as the reason for its incredible scope. The British even perceived the introduction of field courts by Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin, aimed primarily against terrorists, as an adequate measure to combat such "evil" as terror. The British commitment to the rule of law was alien to left-wing liberals in Russia. They believed that in the struggle for a constitutional order, similar to the British, it was possible to use any means. The Cadets used revolutionary terror in the struggle for power, creating heroic images of terrorists on the pages of their press. In the I and II Dumas, it was the Cadets who blocked the procedure of condemning terror initiated by right-wing deputies. Their attitude towards terror seriously impeded liberal reforms. The author believes that the Cadets were more passionate about the struggle than about the idea of transforming the country. Meanwhile, their excessive inclination to fight the government, their unwillingness to seek a compromise with it in the creation of a new Russia, their following abstract theories caused misunderstanding on the part of British diplomats, who were also adherents of the liberal idea.

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