Confronting the Cold War Legacy: The Forgotten History of the American Colony in St. Petersburg / A Case Study of Reconciliation

Abstract

This dissertation surveys three decades of the history and dynamics of Russian-American relations, demonstrating that their conduct has never been exclusively confined to governmental operatives and foreign policymakers. The focus of the research is a diverse group of American nationals residing in St. Petersburg-Petrograd, Russia, between 1890 and 1920. Tracing networks of connections which led Americans to Russia, it stresses the importance of successfully established American businesses in a pro-Western St. Petersburg, pays tribute to American journalists and social reformers, and features socialist-leaning intellectuals who traveled to Russia during times of revolutionary upheavals, becoming chroniclers, witnesses, and, in some instances, participants in events that challenged the course of world history. It also examines American religious missions to Russia and ardent sympathizers, who managed much-appreciated relief activities there. Emphasizing the significance of cultural influences and interdependencies, the research introduces those American nationals who found in the former Russian capital a unique opportunity to express themselves artistically through American cultural idioms, or enhance their knowledge of the Russian language, literature, and history. The study examines the extensive archival materials which reveal broad venues of public diplomacy, as well as economic and cultural interaction, reconstructing a collective narrative of the American colony in the city. It also introduces an array of Russian-language sources little-known to Western readers and scholars, and surveys publications brought to the attention of English-speaking historians, yet left untranslated. Primary sources from both countries, some examined for the first time, and the observations of a host of scholars who have preceded the author, are central to the project. Although the history of Russian-American relations has been a well-explored topic, a comprehensive analysis of the contributions of the American colony to the social, economic, and cultural development of the second principal city of Russia is long overdue.