Irina Viktorovna Potkina,
Doctor of Historical Science, Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Origin of the Northern Sea Route: A Prologue to the Forthcoming Geopolitical Confrontation in the Arctic
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2023-6-10
The author analyzes consular reports, diplomatic and interdepartmental correspondence, which reflect the history of the development of the sea route from Northern Europe through the Kara Sea at the mouth of the Ob’ and Yenisei rivers. The article shows how commercial navigation developed in the Arctic zone of Russia at the end of the 19th – the beginning of the 20th century, as well as which countries and entrepreneurs showed an increased interest in establishing regular communications along the new route, and what goals they pursued. At the same time, a conflict arose between the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Empire and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Great Britain in St. Petersburg, who lobbied for the interests of British entrepreneurs. The author shows that the right of duty-free import of goods, the list of items allowed for coming in, the right of navigation in the internal waters of Russia became subjects of heated discussions between the parties involved. An analysis of the Foreign Ministry’s records has led to the conclusion that the desire of the British to establish regular communication along the Northern Sea Route was dictated primarily by the geopolitical interests of the United Kingdom, which set itself several goals. First, to gain access to the resource base of Siberia. Second, to open up a gigantic sales market for their industrial products. Third, to find the shortest route to the Chinese Empire of the Qing dynasty, which at that time was in semi-colonial dependence on the Western powers. At the same time, in the development of the Northern Sea Route the British tried to use the algorithm of the East India Company, which they had tested more than once in international politics, in an effort to demand for themselves the maximum trade privileges in Russia. Relying on traditional methods of historical analysis, the author used techniques of cross-examination of various sources to recreate a full picture of past events.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
The article has been received by the editor on 08/08/2023
How to cite: Potkina I.V. The Origin of the Northern Sea Route: A Prologue to the Forthcoming Geopolitical Confrontation in the Arctic // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 139–153. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-10.pdf]
Links: Issue 6 2023
Keywords: Northern Sea Route; commercial expeditions; customs duties; Siberian merchants; foreign traders; conflict of interest