British Diplomats about Russian Influence in Serbia in the Nineteenth Century

Rastović, Aleksandar P. (2012) British Diplomats about Russian Influence in Serbia in the Nineteenth Century. In: , Power and Influence in SouthEastern Europe 16th–19th Century : Publication of the Center of Excellence in the Humanities „Alma Mater“. Faculty of History, Sofia, pp. 375-380. ISBN 978-3-643-90331-0

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Abstract

The British policy towards Serbia throughout the nineteenth century was based on the fundamental principles of its Balkan policy. This policy is characterized by distrust for the Serbian state, because of doubts regarding its sincere intention to respect the decisions of the Congress of Berlin in terms of maintaining the current situation on the Balkans. Great Britain fears of the increased Russian influence and expansion of Russofile and Slavofile feelings in the Serbian people. The Serbs were considered a perpetrator of the Russian policy on the Balkans, with Serbia as a possible "platzdarm” for the Russian breakthrough to Constantinople, even though at the time the official foreign policy of Serbia was very Austrophile oriented, and relations of the Serbian state and its rulers with Russia were on a very low level. That fact did not diminish the constant vigilance of the British government and its almost panic fear that there could be a rapprochement between Serbia and Russia. Almost all reports of British representatives in Serbia contain information about the Russo-Serbian relations and the Pan-Slavic movement in Serbia.

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