Petr Cherkasov Russian historian. Date of Birth: 02.01.1946 Country: Russia

1. Pavel Cherkasov: A Distinguished Russian Historian
2. Early Life and Education
3. Career at IMEMO and the Institute of General History
4. Focus on Russian-French Relations
5. Biographical Works
6. Other Contributions

Pavel Cherkasov: A Distinguished Russian Historian

Pavel Cherkasov is a renowned Russian historian who has made significant contributions to the understanding of French, Russian, and Russian-French relations in the modern and contemporary periods.

Early Life and Education

In 1967, Cherkasov graduated with honors from the history faculty of Saratov State University named after N.G. Chernyshevsky. Subsequently, from 1967 to 1970, he pursued his postgraduate studies at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) of the USSR Academy of Sciences. He defended his Ph.D. thesis in history in 1971 and his doctoral dissertation in 1986.

Career at IMEMO and the Institute of General History

From 1970 to 1987, Cherkasov worked at IMEMO, where he specialized in international relations in Europe, France's foreign and colonial policies. During this period, he published four books: "France and Indochina: 1945-1975," "Agony of the Empire," "Fate of the Empire," and "Collapse of the French Colonial Empire."

In 1987, Cherkasov moved to the Institute of General History of the USSR Academy of Sciences (later the Russian Academy of Sciences). As a leading researcher and head of the Center for French Historical Studies, he has continued to conduct extensive research on French and Russian history.

Focus on Russian-French Relations

Over the years, Cherkasov has established himself as an authority on Russian-French relations. His monograph "Two-Headed Eagle and Royal Lilies: The Establishment of Russian-French Relations in the 18th Century" received the E.V. Tarle Prize from the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1997. His subsequent work, "Catherine II and Louis XVI: Russian-French Relations: 1774-1792," has been widely recognized for its scholarly depth.

Biographical Works

Cherkasov has also written groundbreaking biographical works. His studies of General Lafayette and Cardinal Richelieu were the first biographical publications on these figures in Soviet historical science. In 2008, he published his acclaimed study "Russian Agent in France," exploring the life and career of writer and intellectual spy Yakov Nikolaevich Tolstoy.

Other Contributions

Cherkasov is a member of the editorial boards of the "French Yearbook" and the "European Almanac." He has served as the editor-in-chief of the collection "Russia and France: 18th-20th Centuries" (1995-2008). He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Franco-Russian Center for Humanities and Social Sciences in Moscow.

Cherkasov has provided his expertise as a consultant for the television documentary "Russia and France," which commemorated the 200th anniversary of the Russian Foreign Ministry. He has also contributed articles on world history to the "Great Russian Encyclopedia."