F.F. von Berg’s Note “On Military Actions Possible in the North in the Future Campaign of 1856”: Analysis of the International Situation in the Baltic in 1855–1856

Abstract

At the final stage of the Crimean War, the Baltic region was considered the most probable theater of military operations in the strategic plans of the allied powers. This article examines F.F. von Berg’s note “On Possible Military Actions in the North in the Future Campaign of 1856” — one of the Russian military planning documents containing an analysis of a set of factors influencing the course of a potential 1856 campaign in the Baltic. The aim of the study is to determine the degree of objectivity of F.F. von Berg’s assessment of the foreign policy threats to the national security of the Russian Empire in the Baltic direction in 1855–1856. To achieve the aim of the work, the conclusions contained in Berg’s note were compared with the contents of other documents revealing the strategic plans of the allies in 1855–1856. Thus, the course of the work allows us to consider the documentary and historical-comparative methods the main ones used in this study. Based on the results of analyzing a set of other sources characterizing the interaction of key foreign policy players in the Baltic Sea region during that period, it was concluded that Berg did not determine accurately enough the balance of powers in the international arena. Nevertheless, this circumstance did not lead to catastrophic consequences for the defense of Russia’s northern borders, largely due to the measures taken by Berg and duly appreciated by the enemy.