«Eastern agreement» of Ismail Gasprinsky: The formation of an early Eurasian concept (1880–1890s)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the formation of the Eurasian intellectual tendency in Russia – based on the material of the Turkic social thought. The views of the Turkic-Muslim leader Ismail Gasprinsky are reconstructed. His ideas about the rapprochement between Russia and Turkey, about a potential «Eastern agreement» with the participation of Russia, Turkey, Persia and the Balkan states are shown. It is concluded that the idea of an «Eastern agreement» is (in terms of content and meaning) an early Eurasian/pro-Eurasian concept.