Russia and the Russians in the mid-Victorian Britain Publicism (J. Bright, Th. Carlyle)

The article discusses the views on Russia and the Russians by the famous representatives of mid-Victorian Britain - a well-known radical politician, a member of Parliament John Bright (1811-1889) and an outstanding publicist and a historian Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881). Modern native researchers have concluded the dominance of anti-Russian sentiment in the public opinion of Britain the period. Under conditions of strained Anglo-Russian relations in the 50s - 70s of the 19th century and strengthen Russophobia Bright and Carlyle had formulated the opposite, Pro-Russian views. On the eve of the Crimean war of 1853-1856 Bright launched a campaign against the participation of his country in the conflict on the side of Turkey, using the parliamentary tribune and the speeches at the rallies. After the entry of Britain into the war, he continued to defend his pacifist and Pro-Russian views, despite attacks in the press and negative attitudes from colleagues. Carlyle didn't create dedicated to the Russian works in these years, but expressed his Pro-Russian sympathies, gave a high assessment of Russian national character in the pages of his major journalistic works. He publicly spoke in defense of Russia during the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878. Positive views of Russia and Russian people expressed by Bright and Carlyle, could not deploy anti-Russian moods among compatriots in the opposite direction. But criticism of the prevailing Russophobic positions by the famous Britons, whose names represent the Victorian era, was of great importance for the contemporaries.