French Immigration to Russia

In the late eighteenth century, French immigration to Russia happened in two distinct waves. The first of these (1760s–1770s) was in response to Catherine II’s liberal immigration policies, an effort early in her reign at land development and cultural enrichment. In terms of French influence, this was largely an unhappy experiment as French charlatans and rogues sought their fortunes in Russia, were received as cultural mentors, and became the basis of generations of negative stereotypes. The French Revolution, however, brought a different class of French émigrés to Russia in the 1780s and 1790s as French noblemen and trained teachers fled the guillotine to Russia and made significant cultural contributions. Imperial legal codices and archival documents reveal stories of French tutors, shopkeepers, craftsmen, and artists and their interaction with curious Russians. A cross-reference of the various professional activities of these immigrants with the types of French words entering the Russian language during this generation speaks to the significant and lasting influence of these French men and women upon the Russian culture.