Relations between Germany and Russia: past and present

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

Russian-German relations have a significant impact on the solution of many world problems and are one of the determining factors of global politics. The heads of government constantly consult at the highest level with the inclusion in the discussion of the most pressing issues and problems of our time. At present, relations are steadily developing in a positive way.

First trade and diplomatic ties

The first trade relations were established between the states during the existence of the Old Russian state in the central part of the modern Russian Federation and the Holy Roman Empire in the territory of today's Germany. The expansion of the Teutonic Order in the B altics led to a military clash with the Novgorod Republic, an important stage of which was the defeat of the Germans in 1242 in the Battle of the Ice. At the same time, Novgorod and Pskov actively participated in the trade operations of the Hanseatic League, and at the beginning of the fifteenth centurySmolensk regiments took part in the Battle of Grunwald as part of the Lithuanian troops.

Since the time of Vasily the Third, many German artisans, merchants and mercenaries have moved to Russia. There was a German settlement in Moscow, in which lived not only the Germans themselves - immigrants from Germany, but also representatives of foreign countries (the word "German" in Russian comes from a "dumb" person, that is, a foreigner who does not know the Russian language).

The Livonian Confederation pursued a policy of preventing merchants, artisans and merchants from German lands from entering Russia. Ivan the Terrible at that time instructed Hans Chapita to recruit and bring to Russia a group of German artisans. They were all arrested, the craftsman who ventured to the east on his own was executed, and Chapite was tried in Lübeck (1548). Together with the Gense League, the Livonian Order controlled the relations of states in trade. European merchants had to carry out the entire exchange of goods with Russia through the ports of Riga, Narva and Revel, goods were allowed to be transported only on Hanseatic ships. This caused dissatisfaction with the Russian government and became one of the reasons for the Livonian War, as a result of which the Livonian Confederation ceased to exist.

Relations during the period of the Russian Empire

The history of relations between Russia and Germany during the period of the Russian Empire was actively developing. The German military and artisans were invited to Russia and given significant powers. A separate layer of the population were the B altic Germans, whobecame Russian subjects after the transition of the B altic provinces under the authority of the empire. The B altic Germans made up a significant part of the statesmen of the Russian Empire in the first half of the eighteenth century. It was under the leadership of Christopher Munnich, a German commander, that Russia was able to carry out a successful military operation against the Crimean Khanate for the first time.

During the Seven Years' War, the Russian army entered the capital of Germany, and Koenigsberg became part of the Russian state. After the sudden death of Elizabeth Petrovna and the accession to the throne of Peter III, who is known for his sympathy for Prussia, these lands were transferred to Prussia free of charge, and Princess Sophia Frederick of Anh alt-Zerbst, having carried out a coup d'état, ascended the throne and ruled the Russian Empire for thirty four years old. During her reign, numerous settlers were invited to Russia, who occupied sparsely populated lands. Subsequently, these segments of the population began to be called Russian Germans.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the Russians repeatedly fought against the French in Germany. During the Patriotic War of 1812, the Germans and soldiers of the Confederation of the Rhine opposed Napoleon's army that invaded Russia. They fought, however, without motivation, because they were called by force, if possible, they left the battlefield without permission.

Relations after the formation of the empire in Germany

After the foundation of the empire in Germany (1871), trade and economic relations of Russiaand Germany, cooperation in the political sphere has become much more complicated. This was due to the support of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the German resistance to the spread of Russian influence in the Balkan Peninsula. Otto von Bismarck, the German chancellor, was the organizer of the Belinsky Congress, which significantly curtailed the results of the war with Turkey, which were beneficial for Russia.

This event naturally caused in Russian society ever-increasing enmity towards Germany and all the people of this country. Germany was presented in the Russian Empire as a militaristic power and one of the main enemies of the Slavs in general. Economic relations between Russia and Germany improved somewhat in 1894, when a ten-year agreement was signed, according to which the parties lowered trade duties. The tense trade war contributed to the signing of this document.

German investment in Tsarist Russia

On the eve of World War I, Germany was Russia's strategic trading partner. This country accounted for 47.5% of Russian imports and almost 30% of exports. Germany was also one of the main investors. The Soviet diplomat Chicherin believed that on the eve of 1917, Russia's foreign capital totaled about 1.300 billion, German investments amounted to 378 million rubles (for comparison: English - 226 million rubles).

Dynastic marriages between Russia and Germany

Relations between Russia and Germany were largely determined by dynastic marriages. The imperial family entered into numerousdynastic marriages with the rulers of small German principalities. Starting with Peter III, the dynasty actually had to be called Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp. German Princess Sophia Frederika was known in Russia as Empress Catherine the Great.

Contradictions in World War I

Complex relations between Germany and Russia during the First World War resulted in open confrontation. Germany sided with Austria-Hungary, while Russia supported Serbia. Petrograd was renamed St. Petersburg, the reason for which was the anti-German tendencies in Russian society. The failure in the lightning war and the high probability of defeat in protracted hostilities contributed to the escalation of the revolutionary situation.

The Bolshevik government, having come to power, concluded the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany and its allies. International relations between Russia and Germany should have naturally improved: the Soviet authorities were given vast territories on the borders. After the armistice in the First World War, all diplomatic papers concluded by Germany earlier were declared invalid. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was annulled on November 13.

Interwar relations

Relations between Germany and Russia between the two biggest conflicts of the last century had many contentious issues. In 1922, in the city of Rapallo (Italy), an agreement was concluded between the countries on the restoration of relations. The parties refused to compensate for non-military losses and military expenses, expenses for the maintenance of prisoners, introduced the principle of cooperation in the implementation of mutualbusiness transactions and trade relations.

In the future, this first document, which regulated relations between Russia and Germany in the interwar period, was confirmed and expanded by other agreements, for example, the Berlin Treaty of 1926. The Weimar Republic and Soviet Russia, which were isolated, sought to strengthen their own positions in the international arena by signing the Rappall Treaty. This agreement was of great importance for the economy. Russia was a promising market for products for Germany, and for the USSR, cooperation meant the possibility (in fact, the only one at that time) of industrialization.

Germany was also interested in a military-technical exchange, because the Treaty of Versailles imposed significant restrictions on the country's army. Germany got the opportunity to train its specialists on the territory of the USSR, and the Soviet Union enjoyed the opportunity to access German military technology. As part of this cooperation, for example, a joint school for pilots was opened near Lipetsk in 1925. Under the guidance of German specialists, about one hundred and twenty pilots were retrained for Germany and approximately the same number of specialists for the USSR.

In 1926, an agreement was signed to establish a laboratory in the Saratov region. At the top-secret facility, poisonous substances were tested for further use in artillery and aviation, as well as means and methods for protecting contaminated areas. Then the decision was made tocreation of a tank school near Kazan, but the training of specialists began only in 1929.

Prehistory of the Great Patriotic War

After Adolf Hitler came to power, relations between Russia and Germany became more complicated, although formally cooperation continued, and Germany continued to be considered a strategic partner. The Soviet leadership was clearly aware of the threat posed by the Third Reich. Political relations between Russia and Germany deteriorated greatly. The buildup of military power, openly declared plans to seize space in the East, and a significant increase in aggressive moods seriously worried the leadership of the USSR.

Political relations after the war

During the Cold War era, relations between Russia and Germany were governed by international treaties. The defeated Germany was divided into four occupation zones. In the Soviet sector, the GDR was founded with its capital in East Berlin (the city was divided by a wall). A group of the most combat-ready Soviet troops was stationed there, KGB activities were actively carried out in confrontation with Western intelligence services, and an exchange of spies took place. Radical political reforms in the USSR in the late eighties, the end of the Cold War and the détente of general international tension led to the collapse of the socialist camp, and later the Soviet Union itself. In September 1990, a formal German settlement agreement was signed.

Economic cooperation with Germany

After the war, trade relations between Russia andGermany were complicated by the Cold War. The situation began to change for the better only in 1972. A package of agreements was developed that laid the foundation for successful economic cooperation. From the beginning of the seventies, the GDR became a strategic trading partner, and a long-term agreement on the supply of large-diameter pipes and other materials to the USSR for the construction of a gas pipeline was of particular importance for these relations.

Modern political relations

Today, Germany is one of the EU countries with which Russia has the most fruitful relations. A special rapprochement was observed under the rule of Gerhard Schroeder, who struck up a strong personal friendship with Vladimir Putin. Angela Merkel was (and still is) more skeptical about Russia. Today, Germany in the international arena is more focused on the United States than on Russia.

Economic cooperation

Modern trade relations between Germany and Russia are important for the country's economy. Germany accounts for about 13.6% of the volume of foreign trade of the Russian Federation; in Germany, Russia accounts for 3% of trade. The import of Russian energy carriers is of a strategic nature. The European country imports more than 30% and 20% of gas and oil from Russia, respectively. According to experts, this figure will only increase in the future. We can say that the foreign economic relations between Russia and Germany are developing in a positive way.

Culturalinteraction between countries

One of the problematic issues that periodically arise between countries in connection with the cultural sphere is the return of trophy art taken out by Soviet soldiers from Germany after the end of the war. Otherwise, the cooperation is fruitful: mutually beneficial agreements are constantly signed, interdepartmental documents in the field of youth and cultural cooperation, and so on.