International relations of the Cadet Party

Abstract

This article raises the problem of the international activities of the  Cadet Party from 1906 to 1917. During this period, the Cadets were at the head  of the foreign policy activities of the State Duma from the first to the fourth  convocations. Firstly, the reason is that the cadets had a developed network  of personal and professional contacts with Western politicians and journalists;  secondly, they formulated their own vision of foreign policy, and were also  ideologically close to the political elite of England and France. The Cadet  Party used its international authority in two directions: on the one hand, this  increased the party’s authority within the Russian society; on the other hand, Russia was drawing closer to its allies in the Entente. In this rapprochement, it  is not so much the geopolitical aspect that is important as the establishment of  horizontal ties between the societies of these countries, which allows building  long-term friendly relations. This was the main feature of the activities of the  Cadets – they did not have government powers, their activities did not lead to  the conclusion of agreements, but it influenced public opinion both in Russia  and abroad.