RUSSIAN TURKESTAN IN 1870S: USA DIPLOMAT NOTES

Abstract

The rapid conquest of Central Asia realized by the Russian empire during 1860s is still a case to raise and discuss some acute questions. As A. Morrison (Morrison 2014) rightly noted the main explanations are divided between «Great Game» security concept (Carrere d’Encausse, Pierce, Bennigsen 1969; Morrison 2008) and «Cotton Canard» approach mainly represented in works of Soviet historians (Khalfin 1960; Khalfin 1965; Kastel’skya 1980). However, historians pay little attention towards the reaction of the other countries concerning Russian presence in Central Asia. The aim of the paper was using archival documents from Britain’s Foreign Office (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Great Britain) to enlarge the scope of the Russian colonization in 1870s. This article is based on the report of Mr. Eugene Schyler, Secretary of the United States Legation in St. Petersburg after his trip to Russian Turkestan made in 1874. He exposed some weak points in administrative system while as he insisted the Russians «counterpoised» British moves in the region.