The Russian Revolution in the Correspondence of Swiss Diplomats

Abstract

Epistolary heritage of diplomats is an invaluable historical source providing information, fascinating and vivid personal memoirs, but dry reports to the country’s leadership about the events taking place in the host country are of special interest. Examining activity of foreign diplomats in Russia, it’s necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the concrete epoch. Two revolutions in Russia — in February and October 1917 — not only destroyed the mighty Russian empire, but also became the catalyst for the elimination of the German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires. The correspondence of Swiss diplomats is of great interest to a historian because this small neutral country was, actually, a cradle for some generations of revolutionaries who had grown up there and came back to Russia in 1917. The diplomats in their correspondence impressively depicted the situation in Russia during the hard year. However, the value of their correspondence is not only in this picture. Circumstances made them seek ways of reconciliation between enemies. It was very important for the Swiss leadership to understand whether rebellious Russia could resist Germany, and whether it was ready for a separate truce. The article analyzes the activity of the diplomats with regard to this aspect. In the tragic context of emerging of a new world, diplomats were at the frontline between two opposing sides. The correspondence sheds light on the course of diplomatic confrontation. It is not the diplomats who are to blame for the disruption in the Russian-Swiss relations. The article is based on the archival documents of the Russian and Swiss Ministries of Foreign Affairs.