Russophobia: From the French Enlightenment to the Battle of Poltava

From the Enlightenment to Poltava: Historical Roots of Russophobia

The discussion about Russophobia spans centuries, not months. Against the narrative that frames rejection of Russia as a reaction to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, one current of historical analysis traces its origin much earlier: to the French Enlightenment, to the friction between the Papacy and the Roman Emperor of the East, and to the military defeats of Northern Europe against Russia, according to that reading. Another current argues that this ancient hatred does not exist and that everything begins with Russia's actions of recent decades. Two incompatible accounts.

From the French Enlightenment to the Crimean War

The most widespread version dates Russophobia to Great Britain during the Crimean War, or simultaneously in various Western countries around that time. Some push this back by at least a century. The chapter titled 'Imperialophobia and the Black Legend' by María Elvira Roca Barea, which is dedicated to Russophobia, places its beginning in the French Enlightenment, where the tropes of the 'Russian Black Legend' are said to have been coined. The trail can lead even further back: to the friction between the Pope and the Roman Emperor of the East, to the appointment of Charlemagne, and to the subsequent schism. France inherits this role as antagonist, trinc by any power north of the Pyrenees that gains prominence.

Poltava, Finland, and Northern Skepticism

The map of suspicions has specific chapters. According to this reading, the Swedish Russophobia dates back to Poltava, where Russia ended its imperial dreams. The Finnish case is more curious: Finland was a Swedish colony, its elite was Swedish, and the official language was Swedish; when the Russians arrived, autonomy came accompanied by permission to speak Finnish, and yet the suspicion did not dissipate. With Poland, the argument changes: it is not just distrust; it is knowing that at the slightest chance they will be devoured from either side.

The Opposing View: No Phobia, Just Facts

Against the historical thesis, another camp maintains that there was no Russophobia before 1917 or during the Yeltsin era, and that there is no phobia today either: there is a description of acts. In this reading, the rejection emerges with the invasion of Ukraine and is reinforced by accusations of war crimes. They add a mirror: NATOphobia, Anglophobia, or Hispanophobia, which, in their view, have been spreading massively for decades.

Thatcher, Resources, and the Economic Detail

On the table is a material layer. A recurring discourse attributes these suspicions to Western discomfort with Russia's size and the limited accessibility of its resources, using Thatcher's speeches as an example. From there jumps the national detail provided by one participant: the 510 tons of gold that the Republic sent to the Soviet Union, which he estimated at about 50 billion euros in current value. The disagreement remains unresolved. Some place the origin in the Enlightenment, the schism, and Poltava; others, in 2022 and what trinc. Each camp has its dates. None entirely aligns with the other's.