Foreign Policy Departments of the First Antibolshevist Governments: Samara, Arkhangelsk, Omsk

• Published in: Modern History of Russia
• Main Author: Strelkov, I. P.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Russian
• Published: St Petersburg State University 2018
• Subjects: White movement; foreign policy; Komuch; Provisional Siberian Government; Provisional Government of Northern Region; Arkhangelsk
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.21638/11701/spbu24.2018.103; http://hdl.handle.net/11701/9297

The article deals with the problem of creation of international departments in anti-Bolshevist governments of Samara, Omsk and Archangel in summer, 1918. This period was crucial, as the Great war was coming to the end, while the post-war peace conference was anticipated. The article clearly shows that these foreign offices were created not only to solve major political problems, such as the Allied assistance to the Whites and their international recognition. Basing on original sources from GARF, author has analyzed the structure, personnel and major concerns of these bodies. The author argues that these departments were useful solving the problems of foreign citizens and organizations found on the territories these government controlled. Among these problems were both the old ones, left by the pre-revolutionary governments, and the new ones, brought by specific circumstances of the civil war. For example, the relations between the local governments on the cause of borders, property, contracts can be mentioned. Sometimes such cases turned out as difficult bureaucratic puzzles, concerning several local and Allied institutions. Yet, they had shallow potential for governing Russian embassies abroad and were unable to represent White movement at the coming peace conference in Paris. The destiny of these offices was different: the international department of Komuch was dissolved, the same office of Archangel went on solving local problems, while Siberian ministry was incorporated in Russian government of admiral A. V. Kolchak.