The future of economic relations Russia and Bulgaria in the beginning of the XX century: the view of russian diplomats

Abstract

Introduction. The article is devoted to the history of relations between Bulgaria and Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. The two states were interested in joint trade and economic development. This issue received a lot of attention in Russian periodicals. The press pointed out great benefits from the economic relations of the two states. Bulgaria at this time was a country with a rapidly developing economy. This state aroused the interest of many European powers. Diplomatic missions occupied the main place in assessing the possibilities of Russian penetration into Bulgaria. Materials and methods. The sources of the article are related to diplomatic materials from the beginning of the 20th century: reports of secretaries of the diplomatic agency in Sofia, reports of the vice-consul in Bulgaria, diaries and memoirs. The main focus is on assessing trading opportunities. When analyzing sources, the author used traditional methods of objectivity and a critical approach, taking into account the subjective nature of these materials. Results. Diplomats believed that Russian commercial and industrial circles, given the rapid development of the domestic market, showed little interest in Bulgaria. Russian entrepreneurs did not have a clear idea of the needs of the Bulgarian consumer, of the Bulgarian companies with which they could conduct trade operations, or of their creditworthiness. Unlike representatives of other countries, especially Austria-Hungary, Russian business made no efforts to develop trade with the Bulgarians. Russian entrepreneurs did not have their own traveling salesmen who traveled around Bulgaria studying the demand of the local population. Interest in Bulgaria was weak because Russian business was associated with domestic economic development. All this had a very negative impact on the development of bilateral trade. Conclusion. In the current conditions, it was not Russia, but Austria-Hungary that played the main role in the development of the Bulgarian economy. This also determined the political sympathies of the Bulgarian authorities. St. Petersburg understood this problem. However, political complications on the peninsula and the outbreak of the First World War did not allow this creative work to be completed, which could have led to a significant increase in the volume of economic relations between Russia and Bulgaria.