RUSSIAN INFLUENCE ON THE FRENCH CULTURE IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE XX CENTURY (BASED ON FRENCH PRESS)

The paper presents the analysis of French media in the first quarter of the 20th century, affecting the presence of Russian culture in the French society and the impact of theRussians on French culture. The author examines the influence of literature, music, art and theatre on the cultural space of France. Particular attention is paid to the chosen period of time – 1900-1925 as the most fruitful in the history of French-Russian relations – but of course, for the completeness of the study, the historical background of the cultural dialogue between two countries is revealed. The aim of the research is to show opportunities of culture as the soft power on real historical cases and to give an example for future studies in this field in order to improve the brand of Russia abroad. The French media, including the metropolitan and regional press, is in the center of the analysis and special emphasis is put on the differentiation between the periods before and after 1917 as the remarkable date in theRussian history. The undiminished influence of theRussians on French cultural life is shown on the basis of the analysis, in spite of the difficulties in political and international spheres, as well as a lack of politicization in the French media in the articles dedicated to cultural events. The study is characterized by interdisciplinary approach with the application of the theories of Culturology, Sociology and History. The paper is intended fora wide range of specialists and practitioners interested in territorial branding, culturology and media in general