Sergey Sazonov

Sergei Dmitryevich SazonovGCB(Russian: Сергей Дмитриевич Сазонов; 10 August 1860 inRyazan Governorate– 11 December 1927) was aRussianstatesman and diplomat who served asForeign Ministerfrom November 1910 to July 1916. The degree of his involvement in the events leading up to the outbreak ofWorld War Iis a matter of keen debate, with some historians putting the blame for an early and provocativemobilizationsquarely on Sazonov's shoulders, and others maintaining that his chief preoccupation was "to reduce the temperature of international relations, especially in theBalkans".

Sergei Sazonov Сергей Сазонов GCB
Sergei Sazonov
Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire
In office 11 October 1910 – 20 July 1916
Monarch	Nicholas II
Prime Minister	Pyotr Stolypin Vladimir Kokovtsov Ivan Goremykin Boris Stürmer
Preceded by	Alexander Izvolsky
Succeeded by	Boris Stürmer
Personal details
Born	(1860-08-10)10 August 1860 Ryazan Governorate,Russian Empire
Died	11 December 1927(1927-12-11)(aged 67) Nice,France
Spouse	Anna Borisovna von Neidhardt
Alma mater	Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum
Profession	Diplomat, Russian foreign minister

Early career

Coat of arms of the Sazonov family, tracing back their noble lineage back to the 17th century

Born into the family of minorRussian nobility,he was the son of Dmitry Feodorovich Sazonov (1825-1860) and his wife, Baroness Yermioniya Alexandrovna Frederiks (Freedericksz). By marrying Anna Borisovna von Neidhardt (1868-1939), he became brother-in-law of Prime MinisterPyotr Stolypin,who did his best to further Sazonov's career.

Having graduated from theTsarskoye Selo Lyceum,Sazonov served in the London embassy and the diplomatic mission to theVatican,of which he became the chief in March 1906. On 26 June 1909, Sazonov was recalled toSt. Petersburgand appointed Assistant Foreign Minister. Before long, he replacedAlexander Izvolskyas Foreign Minister and followed a policy along the lines laid down by his brother-in-law Stolypin.

Foreign minister

Potsdam Agreement

Just before he was officially appointed foreign minister, Sazonov attended a meeting betweenNicholas II of RussiaandWilhelm II of GermanyinPotsdamon 4–6 November 1910. This move was intended to chastise theBritishfor their perceived betrayal of Russia's interests during theBosnian Crisis.Indeed, Britain'sForeign Secretary,Sir Edward Grey,was seriously alarmed by this token of a "German-RussianDétente".

The two monarchs discussed the ambitious German project of theBaghdad Railway,widely expected to give Berlin considerable geopolitical clout in theFertile Crescent.Against the background of thePersian Constitutional Revolution,Russia was anxious to control the prospective railway branch fromTehrantoKhanaqin,on the Turco-Persian frontier, financed by Russian and German capital; and for Germany to link this branch to the Baghdad Railway. The two powers settled their differences in thePotsdam Agreement,signed on 19 August 1911, Germany giving Russia a free hand in Northern Iran and Russia in turn recognizing Germany's rights on the Baghdad Railway.Sazonov was sick during that time, his office was led byAnatoly Neratovduring his absence. However, as Sazonov hoped, the first railway connecting Persia to Europe would provide Russia with a lever of influence over its southern neighbour.

Notwithstanding the promising beginning, the Russian-German relations disintegrated in 1913, when the Kaiser sentone of his generalsto reorganize theTurkish armyand to supervise the garrison inConstantinopleon request of the Ottomans, remarking that "the German flag will soon fly over the fortifications of theBosphorus",a vital trade artery which accounted for two fifths of Russia's exports.

Alliance with Japan

Despite his fixation on Russian-German affairs, Sazonov was also mindful of Russian interests in theFar East.In the wake of the disastrousRusso-Japanese War,he steadily made friendly overtures towardJapan.As a result, asecret conventionwas signed in St. Petersburg on 8 July 1912 concerning thedelimitationof spheres of interest inInner Mongolia.Both powers determined to keep Inner Mongolia politically separate fromOuter Mongolia.Four years later, Sazonov congratulated himself on concluding aRussian-Japanese defensive alliance(3 July 1916) aimed at securing the interests of both powers inChina.

World War I

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Sazonov

In the run-up to a major military conflict in Europe, another concern of the Russian minister was to isolateAustria-Hungary,mainly by playing the Balkan card against the supposedly-dwindling power of theHabsburgs.Since Sazonov was moderate in his Balkan politics, his ministry "came under frequent nationalist fire for failing to conform to a rigidpan-Slavline ".

While extremist agents likeNicholas Hartwigaspired to solidify the conflicting South Slavic states into a confederacy under the aegis of the Tsar, there is no indication that Sazonov personally shared or encouraged these views. Regardless, both Austria-Hungary and Germany were persuaded that Russia fomentedPan-SlavisminBelgradeand other Slavic capitals, a belligerent attitude in some measure responsible for theAssassination in Sarajevoand the outbreak of theGreat War.

Serbiawas largely viewed as being within Russia's sphere of influence and there was significant support from the Russian political classes and the broader population for the Serbian cause. That caused Russia to defend Serbia against Austria-Hungary after theassassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand.Sazonov warned Austria-Hungary in 1914 that Russia, "would respond militarily to any action against the client state."

As World War I began, Sazonov worked to preventRomaniafrom joining theCentral Powersand wrested in March 1915 an acquiescence from Russia's allies to the post-war occupation of the Bosphorus,Constantinople,and the European side of theDardanelles.On 1 October 1914 Sazonov gave a written guarantee to Romania that, if the country sided with the Entente, it would be enlarged at the expense of the Austro-Hungarian dominions inTransylvania,Bukovina,and theBanat.In general, "his calm and courteous manner did much to maintain fruitful Allied relations".

He accepted a request from the professorTomáš Masarykfor Russian army soldiers to refrain from firing on Czech refugees in October 1914.

Sazonov was viewed favourably in London, but the Germanophilefaction of TsarinaAlexandrafiercely urged his dismissal, which did materialize on 10 July 1916after the minister had aired a proposal to grant autonomy to Poland.

Later life

The grave of Sergey Sazonov

Early in 1917, Sazonov was appointed ambassador to Great Britain, but found it necessary to remain in Russia, where he witnessed theFebruary Revolution.

He was opposed toBolshevism,advisedAnton Denikinon international affairs,and was foreign minister in the anti-Bolshevik government ofAdmiral Kolchak.In 1919 he represented theProvisional All-Russian Government,the Allied recognized government of Russia, at theParis Peace Conference.Sazonov spent his last years in France writing a book of memoirs. He died inNicein 1927.

Popular culture depictions

• Sazonov was portrayed byMichael Redgravein the filmNicholas and Alexandra(1971).

See also

• Russian entry into World War I

Further reading

• Gooch, G.P.Before the war: studies in diplomacy(2 vol 1936, 1938)onlinevol 2 pp 289–370.

External links

• Newspaper clippings about Sergey Sazonovin the20th Century Press Archivesof theZBW