Archive of foreign policy of the Russian Empire minneapolis. Alexander Kuznetsov: Out of historical memory. Machine used to make boxes

ARCHIVE OF FOREIGN POLICY OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE (AVP RI), departmental archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Its history dates back to the Moscow Archive of the College of Foreign Affairs (MAKID; formed in 1724 on the basis of the General Regulations of 1720), which collected departmental records that had lost practical significance. In 1779, Empress Catherine II ordered the manager of MAKID, Academician G. F. Miller, to “establish a collection of all Russian treatises, conventions and other similar acts.” Since 1832, in connection with the reorganization of the structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, department documents began to be stored in 3 archives: the 1st Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (since 1834, the St. Petersburg Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the 2nd Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (since 1834, the State Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in St. Petersburg) and the Moscow Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1920-1925, their funds were part of the State Archive of the RSFSR, during the dissolution of which part of the funds was transferred to the Ancient Depository (since 1941, the Central State Archive of Ancient Acts, now the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts), the other part became part of the Archive of Revolution and Foreign Policy of Russia [in 1933 divided into 2 archives - the State Archive of Foreign Policy and the State Archive of the Revolution, which in 1941 were combined into the Central State Historical Archive (TSHIA) in Moscow]. In December 1945, due to practical necessity, the documents of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs (stored in the Central State Historical Archive) and the funds of the foreign policy department of the Central State Historical Archive were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Archive Directorate of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1946, on the basis of pre-revolutionary funds, the Archive of Russian Foreign Policy (until 1992) was created. It exists along with the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation.

The AVP RI stores over 650 thousand archival files for 1720-1917 (1800 inventories). Among them: treaty acts and ratifications, rescripts, decrees and resolutions on issues of Russian foreign policy, reports of diplomatic representatives of the Russian Empire abroad and instructions to them; reports on international conferences; protocols of negotiations, correspondence of foreign policy departments of various states; historical information; information about Russia's trade with most countries of the world.

Scientific work with documents of the foreign policy department began at MAKID. In 1811, on the initiative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs N.P. Rumyantsev created the Collegium for Printing State Charters and Treaties, which published the “Collection of State Charters and Treaties” (parts 1-5, 1813-94). In 1813, using archive materials, N. N. Bantysh-Kamensky prepared a “Review of Russia’s foreign relations (up to 1800)” in 4 parts (published only in 1894-1902). Among other publications prepared using the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Letters of Russian sovereigns and other members of the royal family” (issue 1-4, 1861-62); “Collections of the Russian Historical Society” (vol. 1-148, 1867-1916); “Collection of treaties and conventions concluded by Russia with foreign powers” ​​(vol. 1-15, 1874-1909; under the direction of F.F. Martens), “Collection of secret treaties from the archives of the former Ministry of Foreign Affairs” (issue 1-7, 1917 -18); series “International relations in the era of imperialism. Documents from the archives of the tsarist and provisional government 1878-1917" (vol. 1-10, 18-20, 1931-40); “Essays on the history of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs” (vol. 1-3, 2002). Since 1960, collections of documents “Foreign Policy of Russia in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries. Documents of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs" (vol. 1-16), etc.

Lit.: Bogoyavlensky S.K. 200th anniversary of the former Moscow Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs // Archival business. 1925. Issue. 2; Mazaev V.I., Chernetsov A.S. Archive of Russian foreign policy // New and recent history. 1978. No. 6; Budnik I.V., Turilova S.L. Archive of foreign policy of the Russian Empire // New and recent history. 1994. No. 4-5; Archive of foreign policy of the Russian Empire: Guide. Minneapolis, 1995.

Against the backdrop of an unusually increased interest in Russian history in our country and the aggravation of complex historical issues in Russia’s relations with a number of states, the role of Russian archives as guardians of historical memory appears in a new light. Archived documents cannot be “undone” or rewritten. They speak for themselves, showing the ambiguity and versatility of historical phenomena and facts. They leave no room for fitting past events into pre-prepared schemes. In the hands of a conscientious researcher who is sincerely interested in the search for historical truth, they are capable of not only resisting various kinds of myths and falsifications, but also giving society guidelines for forming a thoughtful, respectful attitude towards the past based on patriotic values. That is why freedom of access to archives, declassification and publication of documents have become fundamental principles of the work of the Russian archival community.

The tradition of serving the interests of diplomacy, science and society has long been inherent in the documentary collections of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Moreover, it was precisely it that stood at the origins of archival work in the country. In 1720, establishing the College of Foreign Affairs (CFA), Peter I ordered to concentrate in it the main body of documents of the central government, including the papers of the Ambassadorial Prikaz that survived the Time of Troubles, the grand ducal and royal archives of the 14th-16th centuries, as well as the most valuable collections of Russian manuscripts and books and Western European authors. In the same year, the chief archivist of the KID, A.D. Pochainov, was given instructions to sort out and describe these materials. This was the beginning of the scientific processing of the KID’s documentary collections. And the year 1724 went down in Russian history as the year of final registration of the country’s first state archive within the framework of the collegium. For almost two centuries it existed on the basis of two repositories: foreign policy - in St. Petersburg and historical - in Moscow.

In the second half of the 18th century, the transformation of Russia into one of the leading European powers required special attention to the study and publication of foreign policy documents and treaties. Thus was born the tradition of systematic publication of diplomatic documents. On the initiative of Catherine II, the publication of the “Russian Diplomatic Collection” began in 1779. Interrupted due to the death of Academician G.F. Miller, manager of the Moscow archive of the KID, this work was resumed at the beginning of the next century under the leadership of his successor, the outstanding scientist N.N. Bantysh-Kamensky.

Throughout the 19th century, the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs served not only as the main center for the study of national history, but also as a true center of national culture. It is no coincidence that A.S. Pushkin, D.V. Venevitinov, A.K. Tolstoy and many other outstanding writers, scientists and public figures emerged from the ranks of the “archive youth” of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Access to scientific work with archival documents gradually expanded. If until the middle of the 19th century, Russian historians could obtain it only with the personal permission of the emperor, then later, at the initiative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs A.M. Gorchakov, such access was significantly facilitated. Over the years, M.V. Lomonosov, N.M. Karamzin, S.M. Solovyov, V.O. Klyuchevsky, N.I. Kostomarov, S.F. Platonov and other domestic historians worked in the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. L.N. Tolstoy worked here, and the future People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of Soviet Russia G.V. Chicherin served here. Apparently, this archival experience was useful to him for the post-revolutionary arrangement of the repository of foreign policy documents, which, as he said, were as necessary for diplomacy as ammunition for the army.

During the Soviet years, especially in the post-war period, the practice of scientific processing and publication of archival materials was resumed, although it was under strict censorship and ideological pressure. It is noteworthy that in these conditions, the publication of documents by employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among whom there were many historians and archivists, in its own way compensated for the limited access to the archives “from the outside.” A prominent role in this matter was played by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR A.A. Gromyko, who knew and appreciated Russian diplomatic history well. For a quarter of a century, he headed the USSR Foreign Ministry Commission for the publication of diplomatic documents. Thanks to her efforts, such fundamental publications as the multi-volume “Foreign Policy of Russia in the 19th - Early 20th Centuries”, “Documents of the Foreign Policy of the USSR”, as well as the repeatedly reprinted “History of Diplomacy” and “Diplomatic Dictionary” saw the light of day.

Much attention in those years was paid to the publication of documents about the history of the Second World War and the contribution of Soviet diplomacy to the victory over Nazism and the post-war world order. The significance of such publications as “Correspondence of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR with the Presidents of the USA and Prime Ministers of Great Britain during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.” (in two volumes), “The Soviet Union at international conferences during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.” (in six volumes), documentary collections about Soviet-British, Soviet-French and Soviet-American relations in 1941-1945, are constantly growing these days, especially against the backdrop of “historical revisionism” aimed at revising the results of the Second World War.

Over the years of the existence of the USSR, there was a massive redistribution of archival funds. A considerable part of the documents from the collections of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which have lost their operational but not historical significance, have been added to the collections of other state archives or have become the basis for the creation of new ones. However, even today, the archives that are part of the organizational structure of the Historical and Documentary Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are still the custodians of the most valuable materials, without reference to which it is impossible to create serious scientific works on the history of domestic diplomacy. Thus, the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire (AFPRI) has about 400 funds, more than half a million storage units and about eight kilometers of archival shelves, covering the period from the time of Peter the Great to the October Revolution of 1917. In turn, the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation (AVPRF) contains 1.6 million storage units for the entire existence of the Soviet Union and modern Russia.

Both archives continue the best traditions of our country, recognized as one of the “great archival powers.” For many years, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been a member of an authoritative international group of countries that publish diplomatic documents. Recently, new volumes of “Documents of the Foreign Policy of the USSR” have been published, and a multi-volume publication of the documentary collection “USSR and the German Question” has been completed in cooperation with Germany. As part of bilateral cooperation, collections of documents on the history of Russia’s relations with China, the USA, Portugal, Israel, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Cuba, Ecuador and other countries have been published. AVPRF is participating in the preparation of a multi-volume fundamental work “The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.” A collection of documents is being prepared for the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.

Materials from the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were presented at exhibitions dedicated to major historical dates, such as the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812 and the 400th anniversary of the House of Romanov. They occupied a prominent place in the exhibitions held as part of the Russian-French and Russian-German cross years. In the last year alone, there has been a display of documentary collections of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dedicated to the history of “Russian America” in Fort Ross (USA), the 200th anniversary of the meeting of Emperor Alexander I and the ruler of Sweden Bernadotte in the city of Turku (Finland), the Russian diplomatic and cultural presence in island of Sicily (Italy).

Close creative ties with historical science are another tradition that today, as at all times, determines the face of the Russian diplomatic school. Against this background, the statements flashing from time to time in the media that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is supposedly curtailing access to its archives look strange, and the Foreign Ministry’s archivists allegedly only know how to hide documents away from researchers and the public. Russian and foreign historians, who have worked for many years in the reading rooms of the AVPRI and AVPRF, believe that this is not so. And statistics indicate the opposite. For example, in the AVPRF the number of scientists studying its funds has increased by 56% over the past four years. If in 2008 there were 89 researchers working in this archive (64 Russian and 25 foreign), then in 2012 there were already 139 (97 and 42, respectively).

Archivists understand better than others the desire of the researcher to independently get to the bottom of the materials he needs by studying archival inventories. This is exactly the situation in AVPRI, which is open in nature, has a detailed guide to its holdings, and inventories are freely issued to the reading room. But such an order, unfortunately, is not yet possible in the APRRF, where the practical significance of documents for the daily work of the ministry is much higher, and inventories, like archival files themselves, often contain a mixture of both open and secret documents. In this situation, the researcher is forced to rely on the help of archive workers in selecting materials on the desired topic. And such assistance is usually provided quickly and professionally. Of course, this is done while complying with the requirements for maintaining state secrets and other sensitive information. We should not forget that the AVPRF is an operational unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focused primarily on the implementation of foreign policy tasks.

Nevertheless, the main vector of development of archival affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the movement towards greater openness. In the 90s of the last century, the AVPRF, together with other Russian archives, went through a stage of expansion of freedom of access to documents, unthinkable by USSR standards. In those years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a large group of experienced diplomats, through whose efforts about 100 thousand archival files were declassified. This work continues today. Over the past ten years, about 200 thousand cases have been declassified. Most often, arrays of documents are declassified for a specific scientific or publishing project, carried out on the initiative of government agencies, institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, or as part of archival cooperation with other countries. But the “planned” declassification of documents, the 30-year secrecy period of which, established by current legislation, has already expired, unfortunately, is delayed. After all, the issue of declassifying a document is decided as a result of the examination of qualified specialists. But they are just not enough, as well as financial resources. Despite this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has now expanded the group of experts who are called upon to speed up the “planned” declassification and fulfill the requirements of the law.

At the same time, in line with the global trend, there is a process of expanding access to archival funds through their gradual transfer to a digital basis. Last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began implementing a large-scale project to create an electronic scientific reference apparatus, which, among other things, is designed to overcome the above-mentioned problem of access to inventories of the AVPRF. Technically, this is a very complex and expensive project. Only the first stage has been completed: scanning inventories, creating and recognizing images, loading them into an information system with the necessary software. On this basis, electronic inventories will be created, first to serve the needs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then for free access in the reading room of the AVPRF, and later through the official website of the ministry. In the future, it is planned to create an information portal “Archives of the Russian Foreign Ministry”, which will include electronic catalogs, links to various resources, contact information, etc.

As for the digitization of the documents themselves, domestic and foreign experience suggests the need for a careful approach. Long-term preservation of information on electronic media has become a problem for all countries introducing the latest information technologies into archiving. Even the best electronic media we have have a lifespan of less than 50 years. Therefore, today digitization is selective in nature and is used to create electronic copies of the most valuable and in demand documents, especially those with fading texts.

Archival materials are also converted into digitized form in the preparation of documentary exhibitions dedicated to certain memorable dates. These exhibitions are widely used by our foreign institutions in the interests of developing cultural ties with foreign countries and with compatriots living there. Thus, currently, in collaboration with the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (RGALI) and the Pushkin House of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, the preparation of the exhibition “Russian diplomats-writers” is being completed, which will be transmitted electronically for deployment in Russian embassies and cultural centers beyond abroad.

Informatization is also intended to solve another problem: by law, a whole range of services provided by the state must be provided electronically. This refers to the provision of information to the Pension Fund, on personal requests of citizens, on benefits and compensation to victims of repression, etc.

The principle of openness of archives is especially in demand in the modern world, when updating the past is increasingly becoming one of the factors of “soft power” in the foreign and domestic policies of states. There are many examples when turning to the history of Russia’s relations with other countries, sometimes very difficult and even tragic, serves the cause of reconciliation, mutual understanding and rapprochement between peoples. In particular, archival cooperation with Germany is developing in this direction. The same is evidenced by interaction with France in caring for the burials of Russian soldiers who died on French soil during the First World War, the respectful attitude of the Spanish authorities towards the memory of Soviet volunteers who fought against fascism during the civil war of 1936-1939, joint steps to preserve Russian cultural and historical heritage in the USA.

Unfortunately, a different picture emerges in some European, especially the Baltic states. There, the basis of their modern self-identification is sometimes deliberately laid not so much on positive values ​​as on “images of the enemy” in the person of Russia and settling historical scores. This policy leads to a deliberate distortion of the past, especially related to the history of the Second World War. Attempts are being made to belittle the role of our country in the victory over fascism, to glorify its accomplices, to equate the victors and the vanquished politically and morally.

The answer to this challenge is patient work to bring historical truth to public opinion, translating controversial historical issues into the mainstream of unbiased scientific research and debate. This is precisely the focus of the activities of the bilateral group on complex issues with Poland, and joint commissions of historians with Latvia and Lithuania. The archives of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs provide and support it with documentary materials.

The need to increasingly resist attempts to distort historical events and misinterpret them to the detriment of relations between states prompts reflection on the role of history in public consciousness in a turbulent and increasingly interdependent world. The formation of a new world culture that meets the realities of the era of globalization poses the problem of developing adequate approaches to history, free from narrow national interpretations. With all the diversity of opinions and assessments, rethinking the past by new generations can and should serve the civilizational unity of the world, and not the creation of artificial barriers of hostility and mistrust between peoples.

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Address: Moscow, Bolshaya Serpukhovskaya street, building 15. Postal code 115093.

The archive in St. Petersburg (PKID) had documents with an active period and diplomatic correspondence, the period of which was three years.

In 1720, the KID created instructions for the archivist “On the disassembly and description of files in the archives of the College.” The first was translator A.D. Poychanov. He had to restore order first in KID, then in MAKID, where all documents were bound in books:

In addition, the instructions indicated the address of the PKID: on Vasilyevsky Island, in the house of the “Twelve Collegiums”:

The geographical location of MAKID has also been determined. In the first half of the 18th century, it was located in the Prikazov building in the Kremlin, after which it moved to the Rostov courtyard. Then - until the 1870s in the chambers of E. Ukraintsev at the address: Khokhlovsky Lane, building 7.

All documents that had expired were transported from KID to MAKID. MAKID's staff consisted of six people, most of them translators, since the documents were available in different languages. The board also stated:

From 1740 to 1760, the head of MAKID was M. G. Sobakin. He carried out an active analysis and inventory of documents, as a result of which the archive became the historical and cultural center of the city until the 1825s. MAKID was also the first archive in Russia to begin publishing documents. In the 1770s, N.I. Novikov worked here. In 1811, N.P. Rumyantsev, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, contributed to the formation of the Commission for the Printing of State Letters and Treaties, where diplomatic papers of the state were printed. importance. During the 19th century, the commission published 5 volumes containing state charters and agreements. After working at MAKID, I had the opportunity to go to other countries to get an education.

On April 10, 1832, according to the decree, the archive of the Russian Foreign Ministry was divided into three parts: two were located in St. Petersburg, the other in Moscow. The Moscow Main Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MGAMID) contained documents from 1256 to 1801.

In 1870, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received the premises of the Moscow Mining Administration on Vozdvizhenka. Then the building was rebuilt and in 1875 the Moscow Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was located here.

On July 3, 1914, the law on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was adopted, which approved the functions of archives. According to which, the main archive in St. Petersburg began to store documents from 1801 to 1832 and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Moscow Main Archive should have contained documents from 1256 to 1801. Until 1917, certificates for the Russian Foreign Ministry were made here. In 1916, 110 researchers worked at MGAMID.

In September 1917, the Provisional Government divided documents from the archives in Petrograd into three ways: to the Moscow State Academy of Foreign Affairs, to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery in the city of Kirillov, the other remained in the city. In 1921, documents from the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery were transported to the archives in Moscow, and in 1922 from Petrograd. Thus, the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are collected in Moscow.

From 1920 to 1925, the archives were under the control of the State Archive of the RSFSR, then - the Archive of Trees. In 1933, the archive was divided into two separate archives.

Since 1941, the Central State Archive of Ancient Acts has been united [ ] . The archive was evacuated to Samara.

Since 1992, the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts [ ] . Subsequently it became known as the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire.

Reconstruction took place in 2015. The reconstruction was completed in September 2016. The opening ceremony of the new building was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation S.V. Lavrov.

At the moment, the AVPRI contains 400 funds (a guide to the funds was published in a limited edition in 1996) and collections with a total volume of about 600,000 storage units (files), which are diplomatic documents, mainly in originals, incl. reports to the “highest name”, rescripts on foreign policy issues, instructions to diplomatic and consular representatives, their reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports on international conferences with the participation of Russia, musical correspondence, annual reports of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc. The Archive contains collections of documentary materials of prominent Russian diplomats, statesmen and public figures, military leaders, scientists, writers, as well as a collection of microfilms received as part of international exchange.

The study of archival materials began with the Decree of Empress Catherine II of January 28, 1779 to the archive manager, academician G.F. Miller, “to establish a collection of all Russian treatises, conventions and other similar acts.”

In 1811, on the initiative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs N.P. Rumyantsev, the “College for Printing State Charters and Treaties” was created. Already in 1813, N.N. Bantysh-Kamensky published the first part of the collection “Review of Russia’s foreign relations (up to 1800)” (4 volumes in total).

In 1861 – 1862 4 issues of “Letters from Russian Sovereigns and Other Persons of the Royal Family” were published.

From 1867 to 1916 Volume 148 of the "Collection of the Russian Historical Society" was published.

From 1874 – 1896 – 15 volumes “Collection of treatises and conventions concluded by Russia with foreign powers” ​​under the direction of Professor F.F. Martens.

In December 1917, “Collections of Secret Treaties from the Archives of the Former Ministry of Foreign Affairs” were published. In the 30s, the 20-volume series “International Relations in the Age of Imperialism, Documents and Materials from the Archives of the Tsarist and Provisional Government of 1878 – 1917” was published.

From 1957 to the present, “Foreign Policy of Russia in the 19th – Early 20th Centuries. Documents of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs” (16 volumes), etc., has been published.

AVPRI has extensive international connections in the field of publishing activities - publishing joint collections, holding bilateral exhibitions on friendly relations with a particular country, exchanging copies of historical documents with foreign archives.

From 1770 to 1850, the following people worked here: N. I. Novikov, P. B. Kozlovsky, D. P. Severin, the Kireevsky brothers, P. M. Stroev, K. F. Kalaidovich, M. P. Pogodin, D. V. Venevitinov, A. K. Tolstoy, Decembrist N. I. Turgenev, N. P. Ogarev, A. N. Afanasyev.

A. S. Pushkin in May 1836 worked in the archives of Moscow. From 1831 to 1837 in St. Petersburg, where he was looking for materials about Emelyan Pugachev.

Young men from many wealthy families worked here: the Golitsyns, Dolgorukys, Volkonskys, Trubetskoys, Gagarins, Novosiltsevs, Tolstoys, Bulgakovs - they were called “archive youths”. A. S. Pushkin used this expression in the novel “Eugene Onegin” in the seventh chapter:

At the moment, Russian and foreign researchers can gain access to the archive. Russian researchers are required to provide an official letter of recommendation from the sending organization (educational institution, media, etc.) indicating the chronological framework and topic of the work; in addition, it is advisable to indicate the numbers of those funds with which the researcher will work. As for foreign researchers, they are also required to provide a letter of recommendation, but from a “well-known scientific, educational or public organization,” and when working in the archive, they must indicate the address of temporary registration or residence in Moscow. The decision on the admission of each researcher is made within a month, but can be made in a shorter period of time.

Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia

Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation(abbr. AVPRI) - a repository of foreign policy documents of the Russian Empire.

Address: Moscow, Bolshaya Serpukhovskaya street, building 15. Postal code 115093.

Story

The archive in St. Petersburg (PKID) had documents with an active period and diplomatic correspondence, the period of which was three years.

In 1720, the KID created instructions for the archivist “On the disassembly and description of files in the archives of the College.” The first was translator A.D. Poychanov. He had to restore order first in KID, then in MAKID, where all documents were bound in books:

In addition, the instructions indicated the address of the PKID: on Vasilyevsky Island, in the house of the “Twelve Collegiums”:

The geographical location of MAKID has also been determined. In the first half of the 18th century, it was located in the Prikazov building in the Kremlin, after which it moved to the Rostov courtyard. Then - until the 1870s in the chambers of E. Ukraintsev at the address: Khokhlovsky Lane, building 7.

All documents that had expired were transported from KID to MAKID. MAKID's staff consisted of six people, most of them translators, since the documents were available in different languages. The board also stated:

From 1740 to 1760, the head of MAKID was M. G. Sobakin. He carried out an active analysis and inventory of documents, as a result of which the archive became the historical and cultural center of the city until the 1825s. MAKID was also the first archive in Russia to begin publishing documents. In the 1770s, N.I. Novikov worked here. In 1811, N.P. Rumyantsev, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, contributed to the formation of the Commission for the Printing of State Letters and Treaties, where diplomatic papers of the state were printed. importance. During the 19th century, the commission published 5 volumes containing state charters and agreements. After working at MAKID, I had the opportunity to go to other countries to get an education.

On April 10, 1832, according to the decree, the archive of the Russian Foreign Ministry was divided into three parts: two were located in St. Petersburg, the other in Moscow. The Moscow Main Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MGAMID) contained documents from 1256 to 1801.

In 1870, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received the premises of the Moscow Mining Administration on Vozdvizhenka. Then the building was rebuilt and in 1875 the Moscow Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was located here.

On July 3, 1914, the law on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was adopted, which approved the functions of archives. According to which, the main archive in St. Petersburg began to store documents from 1801 to 1832 and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Moscow Main Archive should have contained documents from 1256 to 1801. Until 1917, certificates for the Russian Foreign Ministry were made here. In 1916, 110 researchers worked at MGAMID.

In September 1917, the Provisional Government divided documents from the archives in Petrograd into three ways: to the Moscow State Academy of Foreign Affairs, to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery in the city of Kirillov, the other remained in the city. In 1921, documents from the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery were transported to the archives in Moscow, and in 1922 from Petrograd. Thus, the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are collected in Moscow.

From 1920 to 1925, the archives were under the control of the State Archive of the RSFSR, then - the Archive of Trees. In 1933, the archive was divided into two separate archives.

Since 1941, the Central State Archive of Ancient Acts has been united [ ] . The archive was evacuated to Samara.

Since 1992, the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts [ ] . Subsequently it became known as the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire.

Reconstruction took place in 2015. The reconstruction was completed in September 2016. The opening ceremony of the new building was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation S.V. Lavrov.

At the moment, the AVPRI contains 400 funds (a guide to the funds was published in a limited edition in 1996) and collections with a total volume of about 600,000 storage units (files), which are diplomatic documents, mainly in originals, incl. reports to the “highest name”, rescripts on foreign policy issues, instructions to diplomatic and consular representatives, their reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports on international conferences with the participation of Russia, musical correspondence, annual reports of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc. The Archive contains collections of documentary materials of prominent Russian diplomats, statesmen and public figures, military leaders, scientists, writers, as well as a collection of microfilms received as part of international exchange.

Publishing activity

The study of archival materials began with the Decree of Empress Catherine II of January 28, 1779 to the archive manager, academician G.F. Miller, “to establish a collection of all Russian treatises, conventions and other similar acts.”

In 1811, on the initiative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs N.P. Rumyantsev, the “College for Printing State Charters and Treaties” was created. Already in 1813, N.N. Bantysh-Kamensky published the first part of the collection “Review of Russia’s foreign relations (up to 1800)” (4 volumes in total).

In 1861 – 1862 4 issues of “Letters from Russian Sovereigns and Other Persons of the Royal Family” were published.

From 1867 to 1916 Volume 148 of the "Collection of the Russian Historical Society" was published.

From 1874 – 1896 – 15 volumes “Collection of treatises and conventions concluded by Russia with foreign powers” ​​under the direction of Professor F.F. Martens.

In December 1917, “Collections of Secret Treaties from the Archives of the Former Ministry of Foreign Affairs” were published. In the 30s, the 20-volume series “International Relations in the Age of Imperialism, Documents and Materials from the Archives of the Tsarist and Provisional Government of 1878 – 1917” was published.

From 1957 to the present, “Foreign Policy of Russia in the 19th – Early 20th Centuries. Documents of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs” (16 volumes), etc., has been published.

AVPRI has extensive international connections in the field of publishing activities - publishing joint collections, holding bilateral exhibitions on friendly relations with a particular country, exchanging copies of historical documents with foreign archives.

Notable workers

From 1770 to 1850, the following people worked here: N. I. Novikov, P. B. Kozlovsky, D. P. Severin, the Kireevsky brothers, P. M. Stroev, K. F. Kalaidovich, M. P. Pogodin, D. V. Venevitinov, A. K. Tolstoy, Decembrist N. I. Turgenev, N. P. Ogarev, A. N. Afanasyev.

A. S. Pushkin in May 1836 worked in the archives of Moscow. From 1831 to 1837 in St. Petersburg, where he was looking for materials about Emelyan Pugachev.

A. I. Koshelev spoke about the archive:

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Literature

Young men from many wealthy families worked here: the Golitsyns, Dolgorukys, Volkonskys, Trubetskoys, Gagarins, Novosiltsevs, Tolstoys, Bulgakovs - they were called “archive youths”. A. S. Pushkin used this expression in the novel “Eugene Onegin” in the seventh chapter:

Access to the archive

At the moment, Russian and foreign researchers can gain access to the archive. Russian researchers are required to provide an official letter of recommendation from the sending organization (educational institution, media, etc.) indicating the chronological framework and topic of the work; in addition, it is advisable to indicate the numbers of those funds with which the researcher will work. As for foreign researchers, they are also required to provide a letter of recommendation, but from a “well-known scientific, educational or public organization,” and when working in the archive, they must indicate the address of temporary registration or residence in Moscow. The decision on the admission of each researcher is made within a month, but can be made in a shorter period of time.

The new reading room is designed for approximately 15-20 workplaces

see also

Notes

An excerpt characterizing the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire

Returning this time from vacation, Rostov felt and learned for the first time how strong his connection was with Denisov and with the entire regiment.
When Rostov drove up to the regiment, he experienced a feeling similar to the one he experienced when approaching the Cook's House. When he saw the first hussar in the unbuttoned uniform of his regiment, when he recognized the red-haired Dementyev, he saw the hitching posts of red horses, when Lavrushka joyfully shouted to his master: “The Count has arrived!” and shaggy Denisov, who was sleeping on the bed, ran out of the dugout, hugged him, and the officers came to the newcomer - Rostov experienced the same feeling as when his mother, father and sisters hugged him, and the tears of joy that came to his throat prevented him from speaking . The regiment was also a home, and the home was invariably sweet and dear, just like the parental home.
Having appeared before the regimental commander, having been assigned to the previous squadron, having gone on duty and foraging, having entered into all the small interests of the regiment and feeling himself deprived of freedom and shackled into one narrow, unchanging frame, Rostov experienced the same calm, the same support and the same consciousness the fact that he was at home here, in his place, which he felt under his parents’ roof. There was not all this chaos of the free world, in which he did not find a place for himself and made mistakes in the elections; there was no Sonya with whom it was or was not necessary to explain things. There was no option to go there or not to go there; there were no 24 hours of the day that could be used in so many different ways; there was not this countless multitude of people, of whom no one was closer, no one was further; there were no these unclear and uncertain financial relations with his father, there was no reminder of the terrible loss to Dolokhov! Here in the regiment everything was clear and simple. The whole world was divided into two uneven sections. One is our Pavlograd regiment, and the other is everything else. And there was nothing else to worry about. Everything was known in the regiment: who was the lieutenant, who was the captain, who was a good person, who was a bad person, and most importantly, a comrade. The shopkeeper believes in debt, the salary is a third; there is nothing to invent or choose, just don’t do anything that is considered bad in the Pavlograd regiment; but if they send you, do what is clear and distinct, defined and ordered: and everything will be fine.
Having entered again into these certain conditions of regimental life, Rostov experienced joy and tranquility, similar to those that a tired person feels when he lies down to rest. This regimental life was all the more gratifying for Rostov during this campaign because, after losing to Dolokhov (an act for which he, despite all the consolations of his family, could not forgive himself), he decided to serve not as before, but in order to make amends, to serve well and to be a completely excellent comrade and officer, that is, a wonderful person, which seemed so difficult in the world, but so possible in the regiment.
Rostov, from the time of his loss, decided that he would pay this debt to his parents in five years. He was sent 10 thousand a year, but now he decided to take only two, and give the rest to his parents to pay off the debt.

Our army, after repeated retreats, offensives and battles at Pultusk, at Preussisch Eylau, concentrated near Bartenstein. They were awaiting the arrival of the sovereign to the army and the start of a new campaign.
The Pavlograd regiment, which was in that part of the army that was on the campaign in 1805, was recruited in Russia, and was late for the first actions of the campaign. He was neither near Pultusk nor near Preussisch Eylau, and in the second half of the campaign, having joined the active army, he was assigned to Platov’s detachment.
Platov's detachment acted independently of the army. Several times the Pavlograd residents were in units in skirmishes with the enemy, captured prisoners and once even recaptured the crews of Marshal Oudinot. In April, Pavlograd residents stood for several weeks near an empty German village that had been destroyed to the ground, without moving.
There was frost, mud, cold, the rivers were broken, the roads became impassable; For several days neither the horses nor the people were given provisions. Since delivery became impossible, people scattered across abandoned desert villages to look for potatoes, but they found little of that. Everything was eaten, and all the inhabitants fled; those who remained were worse than beggars, and there was nothing to take from them, and even little - compassionate soldiers often, instead of taking advantage of them, gave them their last.
The Pavlograd regiment lost only two wounded in action; but lost almost half of the people from hunger and disease. They died so surely in hospitals that soldiers, sick with fever and swelling caused by bad food, preferred to serve, dragging their feet to the front rather than go to hospitals. With the opening of spring, the soldiers began to find a plant emerging from the ground, similar to asparagus, which they called for some reason Mashkin’s sweet root, and they scattered across the meadows and fields, looking for this Mashkin’s sweet root (which was very bitter), dug it up with sabers and ate it, despite to orders not to eat this harmful plant.
In the spring, a new disease appeared among the soldiers, swelling of the arms, legs and face, the cause of which doctors believed was the use of this root. But despite the ban, the Pavlograd soldiers of Denisov’s squadron ate mainly Mashka’s sweet root, because for the second week they were stretching out the last crackers, they were only given half a pound per person, and the potatoes in the last parcel were delivered frozen and sprouted. The horses had also been eating thatched roofs from houses for the second week; they were hideously thin and covered with tufts of matted winter hair.
Despite such a disaster, soldiers and officers lived exactly the same as always; in the same way now, although with pale and swollen faces and in tattered uniforms, the hussars lined up for calculations, went to the cleaning, cleaned horses, ammunition, dragged straw from the roofs instead of feed and went to dine at the boilers, from which the hungry got up, making fun of with your disgusting food and your hunger. Just as always, in their free time from service, the soldiers burned fires, steamed naked by the fires, smoked, selected and baked sprouted, rotten potatoes and told and listened to stories about either the Potemkin and Suvorov campaigns, or tales about Alyosha the scoundrel, and about the priest's farmhand Mikolka.
The officers, as usual, lived in twos and threes in open, half-ruined houses. The elders took care of purchasing straw and potatoes, in general about the means of subsistence of the people, the younger ones were busy, as always, with cards (there was a lot of money, although there was no food), and with innocent games - pile and towns. Little was said about the general course of affairs, partly because they knew nothing positive, partly because they vaguely felt that the general cause of the war was going badly.
Rostov lived, as before, with Denisov, and their friendly relationship, since their vacation, had become even closer. Denisov never spoke about Rostov’s family, but from the tender friendship that the commander showed to his officer, Rostov felt that the old hussar’s unhappy love for Natasha participated in this strengthening of friendship. Denisov apparently tried to expose Rostov to danger as little as possible, took care of him and after the case he especially joyfully greeted him safe and sound. On one of his business trips, Rostov found in an abandoned, devastated village, where he had come for provisions, the family of an old Pole and his daughter with an infant. They were naked, hungry, and could not leave, and did not have the means to leave. Rostov brought them to his camp, placed them in his apartment, and kept them for several weeks while the old man recovered. Rostov's comrade, having started talking about women, began to laugh at Rostov, saying that he was more cunning than everyone else, and that it would not be a sin for him to introduce his comrades to the pretty Polish woman he had saved. Rostov took the joke as an insult and, flushing, said such unpleasant things to the officer that Denisov could hardly keep both of them from the duel. When the officer left and Denisov, who himself did not know Rostov’s relationship with the Polish woman, began to reproach him for his temper, Rostov told him:
- How do you want... She’s like a sister to me, and I can’t describe to you how offended it was for me... because... well, that’s why...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke at the opening ceremony of the building of the Foreign Policy Archive of the Russian Empire, which took place on June 28.

The Foreign Policy Archive of the Russian Empire “moved” from Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square to Bolshaya Serpukhovskaya, 15. Immediately after the completion of the move, a presentation of the new building of the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire (AFPRI) took place. It was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergei Lavrov and the head of the Federal Archival Agency Andrei Artizov. AVPRI continued to operate almost fully and was temporarily located in a building on Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square, but the researchers were deprived of a reading room. The opening of the archive will become “full” when researchers will again be able to work in the archive’s reading room in September. “The building is beautiful. I would like to thank everyone who put their hand, soul and heart into this,” said Sergei Lavrov, opening the ceremony.

The Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire was established in 1721 by Peter I and is in fact the oldest Russian archive. “Archival work today is not some kind of technical specialty, it is directly related to our Russian statehood, preserving the identity of our people, respecting its traditions and studying what has glorified our Motherland. It’s not for nothing that Rosarkhiv is now directly subordinate to the President of Russia,” the head of the Foreign Ministry emphasized.

“Archival work today is not some kind of technical specialty, it is directly related to our Russian statehood, preserving the identity of our people, respecting its traditions and studying what has glorified our Motherland. It’s not for nothing that Rosarkhiv is now directly subordinate to Russian President V.V. Putin.”

Sergey Lavrov noted that AVPRI is an archive open to researchers and works closely with Rosarkhiv in exhibitions, publishing activities, and in the creation of Internet projects covering various events in Russian history. Andrei Artizov emphasized in his speech that the new building of the departmental archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is part of the consistent work to modernize Russian archives. Over the 15 years of the history of modern Russia since 2000, 88 thousand square meters have been commissioned at the federal level. meters of new archival space, and if you also count 6 thousand square meters. meters of AVPRI - then this is already 94 thousand, and over the 70 years of Soviet history, 118 thousand meters of new archival space were built, that is, proportionally, the pace and volume of archival renewal are incomparable. And the update work continues consistently.

Attention to archival documents is increasingly increasing, their role in the fight against falsification and distortion of history, in restoring historical truth is being realized. “Without archival documents, without historical memory, we will be Ivans who do not remember kinship,” said Andrei Artizov. He noted that it is customary to come to housewarmings with gifts - the day before, 119 volumes of the most complete anthology of the history of Russian social thought, published by Rosarkhiv, were handed over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“In modern conditions, we are forced to engage in work related to the restoration of historical truth, with opposition to those myths and falsifications that are often heard today in relation to our history, and our common past, and in relation to the Second World War.”

“Pearls” of the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire

For the opening ceremony, the archive staff prepared a small but extremely valuable exhibition of those documents that are the pride of the foundation. The most significant of them is the Treaty of Nystadt in 1721, which brought an end to the long-term Northern War and marked the beginning of the Russian Empire. Russia gained access to the sea and the Baltic provinces. The photo shows the original of the Treaty of Nystadt, it was enclosed in a “cover” made of wood.

And next to it, in a blue velvet cover, is the Swedish ratification of the treaty.

Swedish ratification of the Treaty of Nystad with Frederick's wax sealI.

It is signed by the Swedish King Frederick.

Original signature of King Frederick of SwedenIon the Swedish ratification of the Treaty of Nystad.

The agreement is sealed with a wax seal placed in a special metal case - an ark.

Friedrich's wax sealI.

The exhibition presents documents from the Napoleonic era - the Treaty of Tilsit of 1807, a letter from Napoleon to Emperor Alexander from Moscow, which was engulfed in fire.

Here is also a letter from M.I. Kutuzov to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count N.P. Rumyantsev, that under Rushchuk a victory was won over the Turkish forces of Akhmet Pasha, which was twice the size of the Russian army.

Letter from M.I. Kutuzov to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count N.P. Rumyantsev.

Nearby is Alexander I’s project for organizing post-war Europe in 1814. This is an autograph written in pencil. The exhibition also includes a watercolor depicting the uniform of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the era of Alexander I.

Uniform of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Alexander eraI.

The Persian ratification of the Turkmanchay Peace Treaty of 1828 was also presented, in the development of which A.S. Griboedov, the Resident Minister in Persia, took an active part. The original is richly decorated with gold script, on one page there is the personal seal of Abbas-Mirza.

Turkmanchay peace treaty of 1828 between Russia and Persia.

A unique document on Russian-Chinese relations in 1810 is also presented - an illustrated ceremony of the meeting of Russian and Chinese border commanders. The artist depicted a cavalry parade, the formation of which stretched out on paper to almost life-size length. Fund guardian, first secretary of the Historical and Documentary Department Olga Volkova helped unfold and show a unique archival document.

Fund keeper Olga Volkova holds a document from 1810 in full spread.

The archivists also showed A.M. Gorchakov’s famous circular of 1856: “Russia is not angry, Russia is concentrating,” the chancellor wrote and emphasized that the emperor, not wanting to infringe on the interests of any of the countries, would first of all respect the interests of Russia and concentrate on internal politics of the empire. “Be it so,” is the emperor’s note on the document.

Circular by A.M. Gorchakov in French, 1856, signed by AlexanderII.

The exhibition concludes with archival documents from the very end of the 19th century - a note to the diplomatic missions of Western powers in the Russian capital about the convening of the peace conference in The Hague in 1899.

At the end of the ceremony, the head of the archive, Irina Vladimirovna Popova, gave a short tour of the new premises of AVPRI especially for International Affairs. The archive has equipped a restoration workshop with the most modern restoration tools, which will prolong the life of historical rarities. “Each newly commissioned archive,” said I. Popova, “should have a reading room, a service library, a restoration room, a copy room and other premises.” Restorer is a rare and now scarce profession. Many restorers go into commercial projects. I. Popova showed special dust removal machines and a computer-controlled machine for making cardboard boxes.

This vacuum cleaner machine pulls out the most microscopic dust from paper.

In such a pressure chamber it is possible, using various attachments, to process documents subject to a high degree of dilapidation.

Documents at AVPRI are stored horizontally in special archival boxes, many of them are deteriorating, literally falling apart - two moves are too much for priceless documents - everything had to be done to preserve them. The photo shows an example of a miniature owlet box created by a “box-making” machine.

A machine used to make boxes.

Every year, the archive produces many copies of documents for historical researchers; it happens that Russian leaders, during their visits abroad, present as a gift to the receiving party a dummy of some historical document “with history” that is almost indistinguishable from the originals. Employees are pleased that one of the problems - the lack of intact boxes for storing materials - will be at least partially resolved.

Machine for document restoration.

Restoration equipment is varied - from special paper cutters to the most complex devices - a paper-topping machine for restoring paper, for normalizing its acidity, for working with stitched multi-page documents - all this equipment will extend the life of many historical documents.

A machine for working with voluminous documents.

For copying and digitizing, the archive has special high-quality scanners, special cameras for large-format documents and other equipment.

Single page machine.

Speaking about the just completed move, Irina Popova called it “from shelf to shelf,” which is achieved through careful preparation and technological calculation.

The main storage room.

Thanks to painstaking preparation, AVPRI practically did not stop working. AVPRI is not a replenishable archive, but the reserve, one way or another, is necessary, therefore one of the storage facilities is equipped with mobile, and not stationary, like all other storage facilities, shelving.

Mobile racks.

Microfilms are stored under special temperature and humidity conditions, in separate storage on open shelves, each box of film is on its own shelf.

Storage of microfilms with documents.

Concluding the tour, Irina Popova emphasized that the new building has all the conditions for archival work.

Metal cells for storing a group of documents horizontally.