russian and american relations

[Nathan the Great]

does anyone know what  Nicholas ll and his family opinion were about the united states, for example what did they thinks of some of our leaders. are there opinion stated any where. on the other hand are any known opinion  of are leader having to deal with the tsar 

[edubs31]

Well a peace delegation led by Teddy Roosevelt did settle the terms of the Russo-Japanese War in Portsmouth New Hampshire. Minister Sergei Witte was sent by the Tsar to represent Russia. From what I've read Witte was left with a positive impression of the American people and US society in general, but was not a big fan of Roosevelt. I'm guessing he would have discussed this with Nicholas and perhaps influenced the Tsar's views of the United States. Considering the favorable terms Russia received from the treaty with the Japanese I would have to believe that Nicholas probably had a pretty favorable opinion of the US and Roosevelt.

The only other time I remember reading much about Nicholas discussing the US was during a conversation recorded between he and some officers at General Headquarters during the war. I want to say it was Hanbury-Williams who wrote about it in his diary but I could be wrong. The Tsar was being be asked about the differences between the political systems of Russia and that of America. He went on to explain that you couldn't really compare the US republic with the monarchical rule of Russia because American and Russian societies and their cultural identities were so different.

That's all that really comes to mind. The United States didn't even enter WWI until the Tsar had already abdicated. Then Russia pulled out of the conflict less than a year later. It doesn't seem like the countries really crossed paths, politically speaking, until World War II.

[Inok Nikolai]

It doesn't seem like the countries really crossed paths, politically speaking, until World War II.

Well, there is more to the story than that.

In 1958, Alexandre Tarsaidze (1901-1978) published a fascinating study of the friendly relations which existed between the Russian Empire and the USA before the Revolution.

It's full of details, such as how the Russian Fleet aided the Union during the Civil War.

It's called: "Czars and Presidents". I highly recommend it.

(I believe that in another thread Petr commented that his Aunt had been married to Tarsaidze.)

There is also the correspondence between President Lincoln and Tsar Alexander II.
http://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/4686.htm

And the exhibit on both leaders which was shown in the USA and then in Russia.
http://www.shapell.org/exhibitions.aspx?the-tsar-and-the-president-alexander-ii-and-abraham-lincoln-liberator-and-emancipator

And see the site of the Russian-American Cultural Center in Boston for more local lore.
http://www.racc-boston.org/history.html

[Horock]

The second world war was one year and nine months old before Russia was invaded and two years and three months old before the United States of America became involved.

[edubs31]

That book looks interesting. Thanks for the link Inok. Obviously a number of parallels can be drawn between Lincoln and Alexander II.

The United States' purchase of Alaska during the Andrew Johnson administration (largely engineered by William Seward) is another big one.

Perhaps I should correct myself then by saying there wasn't a terrible amount of Russian-US involvement between the immediate post-civil war era and World War II. The Treaty of Portsmouth stands out as the signature event in Russian-American relations during this roughly 75-year time period in between. Even in the war effort of WWI, as I previously mentioned, the two countries were not strongly associated since the US was just beginning it's military involvement at a time when Russia was fading out.

Clearly Russia and America were linked in terms of trade, and considering the size of their respective economies and the influence they wielded in world affairs they were never off each other's radar. Comparatively speaking however it seems American and Russia had closer ties and more involvement with the countries of central and western Europe then with each other. Perfectly understandable given their geographies, the language barrier, and (during the Tsar's reign) their vast differences in political composition.

[Petr]

There's a new book out entitled "Glorious Misadventures" by Owen Matthews about Nicholas Rezanov and the Russian American Company which attempted the colonization of Northern California made possible by Rezanov's circumvention of the Mexican Government's prohibition of dealing with foreigners by marrying the Governor's 15 year old daughter Conchita. It's a tale of missed opportunities and missed calculations which could have changed the face of America with far reaching results.

BTW my Aunt's first husband was Sacha Tarsaidze.