| Empire Unguided seeks to explain the very rapid breakdown in Russo-Bulgarian relations in the years immediately following the Russian liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire in 1878. At the beginning of the period, the Russian Empire and the Principality of Bulgaria were extremely close allies, bound together by sentiment, by geopolitical reality, and by strong administrative ties. Yet by 1886, relations would degenerate to the point that the Bulgarian Prince was overthrown in a Russian-backed coup, there were serious discussions of a Russian invasion of the country, and diplomatic relations were ultimately severed entirely for the better part of a decade. Empire Unguided contends that the proximate cause of the break was the aggressive and tactless behavior of a series of Russian military and diplomatic agents in Bulgaria, who frequently followed their own policies and ideas without regard for the foreign policy preferences of St. Petersburg. More broadly, the organizational weakness and backwardness of the Russian foreign policy apparatus meant that the Russian Empire was unable to develop a single policy approach, or to force its acceptance by its agents in Bulgaria. This gap was instead filled by Panslav ideology, with sharply negative consequences both for Russo-Bulgarian relations and for Russia's geopolitical goals in the Balkans. Ultimately, Empire Unguided demonstrates the critical importance of organizational competence in diplomatic affairs. |
