Abstract:

The history of the Russian-France relations dates back several centuries and includes not only diplomatic but also humanitarian contacts. Russia and France are the example of two States that didn`t have for a long time a strong external relationships, but developed inter-cultural dialogue. Already in the XVIII century Russian nobility attached to French culture, interested in French language, philosophy and lifestyle. Moreover French for the Russian nobility became trendsetters, and the use and fluency speaking French language has become an indispensable attribute of Russian aristocratic culture. In the end of XVIII century Russia and France were moving to closer cultural communication. So, a practice of the trips of French in Russia became very popular; in turn, the representatives of the Russian nobility were going in Western Europe, primarily in France. They pursue different aims: work assignments, diplomatic missions, trade and entertainment. But over time, the acquisition of knowledge has became the most important goal.
French higher education is one of the oldest in Europe. It has a deep tradition based on the achievements of Antiquity and the middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. For centuries France has been famous for the development of the Humanities, especially historical. Many world famous historical scientific schools were formed in the walls of the French universities. Among the scientific and educational centers special place is occupied by the universities of Paris and Strasbourg, in which were trained many of the Russian students even in the nineteenth century. It is important to analyze the activities of dynamically developing universities of Lyon and Grenoble and many others. All these universities continue the tradition of French historical education and, as in the XIX-XX centuries are opened to active international cooperation. An example of such cooperation and commitment to the policy of integration into the world educational space are joint programs between Russian and French Universities, particularly in the context of the development of historical knowledge. It should be noted that cooperation between Russia and France in the framework of implementation of joint educational programs of historical specialization is the key to the development of bilateral Russian-French relations in the humanitarian sphere, an integral part of the so-called Cultural diplomacy of the two countries. On the other hand, contacts in the field of history education to expand the conceptual framework of the research process, promotes scientific and cultural exchanges, and most importantly - enrich the students new knowledge, give them the opportunity to get acquainted with the peculiarities of scientific schools of the two countries, to read the sources and analyzing the works of scientists, written in Russian and French.

Keywords:

Russian-France relations, history education, international cooperation, educational space, joint programs.