Russian-German relations have a significant impact on the solution of many world problems and are one of the determining factors in global politics. Heads of government constantly consult at the highest level with the inclusion in the discussion of the most pressing issues and problems of our time. At present, relations are developing steadily in a positive manner.
First trade and diplomatic ties
The first trade relations were established between states during the period of the Old Russian state in the central part of the modern Russian Federation and the Holy Roman Empire in the territory of today's Germany. The expansion of the Teutonic Order in the Baltic states led to a military clash with the Novgorod Republic, an important stage of which was the defeat of the Germans in 1242 in the Battle of the Ice. At the same time, Novgorod and Pskov actively participated in the trading operations of the Hanseatic League, and at the beginning of the fifteenth century, Smolensk regiments took part in the Battle of Grunwald as part of the Lithuanian troops.
Since the time of Vasily the Third, many German artisans, merchants and mercenaries have moved to Russia. In Moscow there was a German settlement, in which lived not only Germans themselves - immigrants from Germany, but also representatives of foreign states (the word "German" in Russian comes from a "dumb" person, that is, a foreigner who does not know the Russian language).
The Livonian Confederation pursued a policy to prevent merchants, artisans and traders from German lands to Russia. Ivan the Terrible at that time instructed Hans Schapit to recruit and bring to Russia a group of German artisans. They were all arrested, a craftsman who ventured to go east on his own was executed, and Shapite was tried in Lübeck (1548). Together with the Genesis Union, the Livonian Order controlled the relations of states in trade. European merchants had to carry out the entire exchange of goods with Russia through the ports of Riga, Narva and Revel; goods were allowed to be transported only on Hanseatic ships. This caused discontent of the Russian government and became one of the reasons for the Livonian war, as a result of which the Livonian Confederation ceased to exist.
Relations during the period of the Russian Empire
The history of relations between Russia and Germany during the period of the Russian Empire was actively developing. The German military and artisans were invited to Russia, endowed with significant powers. A separate layer of the population was the Baltic Germans, who became Russian subjects after the transition to the rule of the empire of the Ostseen provinces. Baltic Germans made up a significant part of the statesmen of the Russian Empire in the first half of the eighteenth century. It was under the leadership of Christopher Minich, the German military leader, that Russia was able for the first time to carry out a successful military operation against the Crimean Khanate.
During the Seven Years' War, the Russian army entered the capital of Germany, and Koenigsberg became part of the Russian state. After the sudden death of Elizabeth Petrovna and the accession to the throne of Peter III, who is known for his sympathies for Prussia, these lands were transferred to Prussia free of charge, and Princess Sofia Frederick of Anhalt-Zerbst, having carried out a coup d'etat, ascended the throne and ruled the Russian Empire for thirty four years old. During her reign, numerous immigrants were invited to Russia, who occupied sparsely populated lands. Subsequently, these segments of the population began to be called Russian Germans.
During the Napoleonic Wars, Russians repeatedly fought against the French in Germany. During the Patriotic War of 1812, the Germans and soldiers of the Rhine Union opposed Napoleon’s army, which invaded Russia. True, they fought without motivation, because they were called up by force, and if possible, left the battlefield without permission.
Relations after the formation of the empire in Germany
After the foundation of the empire in Germany (1871), trade and economic relations between Russia and Germany, political cooperation were significantly complicated. This was caused by the support of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and German resistance to the spread of Russian influence on the Balkan Peninsula. Otto von Bismarck, German Chancellor, was the organizer of the Belinsky Congress, which significantly reduced the results of the war with Turkey that were beneficial for Russia.
This event naturally caused in Russian society an ever-increasing hostility towards Germany and the entire people of this country. Germany was represented in the Russian Empire as a militaristic power and one of the main enemies of the Slavs in general. Economic relations between Russia and Germany improved slightly in 1894, when a ten-year agreement was concluded, according to which the parties lowered trade duties. The signing of this document was facilitated by a tense trade war.
German investments in tsarist Russia
On the threshold of World War I, Germany was a strategic trading partner of Russia. This country accounted for 47.5% of Russian imports and almost 30% of exports. Germany was also one of the main investors. The Soviet diplomat Chicherin believed that on the eve of 1917, the foreign capital of Russia amounted to about 1.300 billion, German investments amounted to 378 million rubles (for comparison: British - 226 million rubles).
Dynastic marriages between Russia and Germany
Relations between Russia and Germany were largely determined by dynastic marriages. The imperial family entered into numerous dynastic marriages with the rulers of small German principalities. Starting from Peter III, the dynasty was actually called Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp. The German Princess Sophia Frederick was known in Russia as Empress Catherine the Great.
Contradictions in the First World War
The complicated relations between Germany and Russia during the First World War resulted in an open confrontation. Germany sided with Austria-Hungary, and Russia supported Serbia. Petrograd was renamed St. Petersburg, which was caused by anti-German tendencies in Russian society. The failure in the lightning war and the high probability of defeat in protracted hostilities contributed to the growth of the revolutionary situation.
The government of the Bolsheviks, having come to power, concluded the Brest Peace Treaty with Germany and its allies. The international relations between Russia and Germany should have naturally improved: the vast territory on the borders was transferred to the Soviet authorities. After the armistice in World War I, all diplomatic papers concluded by Germany earlier were declared invalid. The Brest peace was canceled on November 13.
Interwar Relations
The relations between Germany and Russia between the two largest conflicts of the last century had many controversial issues. In 1922, in the city of Rapallo (Italy), an agreement was concluded between the countries on the restoration of relations. The parties refused to reimburse non-military losses and military expenses, expenses for the maintenance of prisoners, introduced the principle of cooperation in the implementation of mutual economic operations and trade relations.
Subsequently, this first document, regulating relations between Russia and Germany in the interwar period, was confirmed and expanded by other agreements, for example, the 1926 Berlin Treaty. The Weimar Republic and Soviet Russia, which were isolated, sought to sign their Rappallian Treaty to strengthen their own positions in the international arena. This agreement was important for the economy. Russia was a promising market for products for Germany, and for the USSR, cooperation meant the possibility (actually the only one at that time) of industrialization.
Germany was also interested in military-technical exchanges, because the Treaty of Versailles imposed significant restrictions on the country's army. Germany got the opportunity to train its specialists on the territory of the USSR, and the Soviet Union took the opportunity to access German military technology. In the framework of this cooperation, for example, a joint school for pilots was opened near Lipetsk in 1925. Under the guidance of German specialists, about one hundred and twenty pilots for Germany and about the same number of specialists for the USSR were retrained.
In 1926, an agreement was signed on the establishment of a laboratory in the Saratov region. At a top-secret facility, toxic substances were tested for further use in artillery and aviation, as well as means and methods of protecting contaminated areas. Then it was decided to create a tank school near Kazan, but the training of specialists began only in 1929.
The background of the Great Patriotic War
After Adolf Hitler came to power, relations between Russia and Germany became complicated, although formally cooperation continued, and Germany continued to be considered a strategic partner. The Soviet leadership was clearly aware of the threat posed by the Third Reich. Political relations between Russia and Germany have deteriorated greatly. The buildup of military power, openly declared plans for the seizure of space in the East, and a significant increase in aggressive dispositions seriously worried the Soviet leadership.
Political relations after the war
During the Cold War, relations between Russia and Germany were regulated by international treaties. Defeated Germany was divided into four occupation zones. In the Soviet sector, the GDR was founded with its capital in East Berlin (the city was divided by a wall). A group of the most combat-ready Soviet troops was stationed there, the KGB was actively engaged in the confrontation with Western intelligence services, and spies were exchanged. Radical political reforms in the USSR in the late eighties, the end of the Cold War and the relaxation of general international tension led to the collapse of the socialist camp, and later of the Soviet Union itself. In September 1990, an official settlement agreement was signed with respect to Germany.
Economic cooperation with Germany
After the war, trade relations between Russia and Germany were complicated by the Cold War. The situation began to change for the better only in 1972. A package of agreements was developed that laid the foundation for successful economic cooperation. Since the beginning of the seventies, the GDR has become a strategic trading partner, and of particular importance for these relations was the long-term agreement on the supply of large diameter pipes and other materials for the construction of the pipeline to the USSR.
Modern political relations
Today, Germany is one of the EU countries with which Russia has the most fruitful relations. A special rapprochement was observed during the reign of Gerhard Schroeder, who struck up a strong personal friendship with Vladimir Putin. Angela Merkel was more skeptical of Russia (and to this day the situation remains the same). Today, Germany in the international arena focuses more on the United States rather than Russia.
Economic Cooperation
Modern relations between Germany and Russia in the trade sphere are important for the country's economy. Germany accounts for about 13.6% of Russia's foreign trade; in Germany, Russia accounts for 3% of trade. The strategic nature is the import of Russian energy. European countries import gas and oil from Russia over 30% and 20% respectively. According to experts, in the future this figure will only increase. We can say that foreign economic relations between Russia and Germany are developing in a positive way.
Cultural interaction between countries
One of the problematic issues that periodically arise between the countries in connection with the cultural sphere is the return of captured art taken out by Soviet soldiers from Germany after the end of the war. The rest of the cooperation is fruitful: mutually beneficial agreements, interdepartmental documents in the field of youth and cultural cooperation and so on are constantly signed.