CRIMEAN WAR: NEW APPROACHES TO THE EVALUATION OF THE RESULTS

Abstract

The paper considers the question of the validity of the opinion of the results of the Crimean War as an unconditionally heavy and even shameful defeat of the Russian Empire. Is it correct to assume that the outcome of the war is evidence of the non-viability of the state system that was established in the first half of the nineteenth century under the leadership of Nicholas I? To answer this question, the author analyzes political goals set by the anti-Russian coalition and the extent to which they were achieved. The article cites data refuting the thesis of a noticeable technical lag in equipping the Russian army and stresses that the ratio of losses to Russia and its opponents is quite comparable. This fact the author regards as evidence in favor of the success of the actions of Russian soldiers and officers, as well as the effectiveness of the state system as a whole. The article also shows the techniques of the information war of the XIX century and draws a parallel with the methods of “soft power”, so widespread in our time. The author comes to the conclusion that a significant share of criticism of Nicholas Russia is tendentious, biased and is not due to objective, but purely political reasons. The relevance of this study is attached to the events caused by the return of Crimea to Russia in 2014, and the subsequent reaction of the international community. As in the 19th century, our country once again found itself in diplomatic isolation on the part of European states against the backdrop of domestic political instability. According to the author, in order to find a way out of the current difficult situation, it is useful to turn to the experience of the past.