The French in Moscow and the Russians in Paris: mutual perception and cultural memory

The article provides a comparative analysis of the Russian and French perceptions of each other during the Patriotic War of 1812 and the military campaign in France of 1814, and also traces how and to what extent these large-scale contacts influenced the transformation of previous stereotypical ideas among representatives of the warring parties about the enemy country. It is shown that the War of 1812, for a number of reasons, did not make any significant adjustments to the pre-war ideas of the French about Russia as a country of “northern barbarians”; at the same time, the presence of the Russian army in Paris allowed the population of France, if not completely discarding, then significantly correcting a number of propaganda clichés regarding the Russian military. The acquaintance of Russian officers with French reality led to a serious revision of their pre-war image of France as a state close to the ideal, and a certain reassessment of values. It is emphasized that the comparison of traditions, behavior, culture, religion, spiritual development of the French and Russians has already allowed many contemporaries to perceive the war of 1812–1814 not only as a military-political clash of states, but also as a civilizational conflict. All this was reflected in the historical and cultural memory of the Russian and French people about the events of that time.