ABSTRACT
The first check to the Russian leaders’ certainty that they understood how to get under control the potential threats in the international situation came in 1878. The Russian government was to supervise the establishment of the new regime and to occupy Bulgaria for up to two years. Alexander II was, of course, aware that such a treaty would meet with British and Austrian opposition, but until April 1878 he was fully prepared to fight in defence of the settlement his armies had won. The Russians had provoked a new British drive in western and central Asia which they were ill-equipped to counter. The Russian government took its time over settling the details, and kept the British on tenterhooks throughout the summer. Balkan politics were changeable enough for the Russians to hope they would change to their advantage; the British link with the Triple Alliance was limited and precarious.
