A diplomatic official in Port Arthur
https://doi.org/10.28995/2658-6541-2024-6-4-10-29
Abstract
The article, based on the documents from the Archives of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire and the legislative acts, examines the creation, competence, composition, and activities of the diplomatic office in Port Arthur. It was established in August 1899 and functioned initially under the chief of the Kwantung region, and since 1903 – under the Governor of the Far East. The author focuses on the position of a diplomatic official in Port Arthur. He belonged to the department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but directly reported to the highest official of Kwantung. Russian diplomatic offices existed in many border governorates of the Empire and were engaged in ensuring the implementation of the foreign policy powers of Governors-General and Governors, as well as in resolving border issues with the neighboring states. Based on a comparative analysis of the status of the Port Arthur diplomatic office with the position of similar structures under the Governors-General of Russia’s inner peripheral regions, it is concluded that although they operated within similar organizational and legal frameworks, the very establishment of the post of a diplomatic official in the exclave of Russia was an innovation for administrative practice. Russia’s participation in the military conflicts in the Far East, the inclusion of Manchuria in its sphere of influence, the formation of a governorship in the Far Eastern region – all of that combined had a defining impact on the scope of competence, personnel, activity pattern and the funding volume for the diplomatic office in Port Arthur. The loss of the Liaodong Peninsula and the subsequent abolition of the governorship led to the disbandment of the Port Arthur diplomatic chancery.
About the Author
V. I. Kulikov
Russian State University for the Humanities
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Vladimir I. Kulikov, Cand. of Sci. (History), associate professor
6, Miusskaya Sq., Moscow, 125047
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For citations:
Kulikov V.I. A diplomatic official in Port Arthur. History and Archives. 2024;6(4):10-29. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2658-6541-2024-6-4-10-29
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