Diplomacy is an area of activity where the human personality plays an important role. The responsibility for negotiations, signing agreements, conventions, treaties - all this falls on the shoulders of diplomatic representatives. In the modern diplomatic language, the word diplomat serves as a generalized name for persons engaged in diplomatic activities. This word entered the Russian language quite late: having appeared for the first time in the 80s of the XVIII century, it begins to be used from the beginning of the XIX century. Until the XVIII century, the function of the word diplomat was performed by a polysemous agent in one of its meanings "diplomatic representative". The foreign-language term agent has gone through a long historical path of development and reinterpretation of meanings and did not immediately become part of the Russian diplomatic terminology system. This term has been used since the 16th century as the name of trade commissioners sent abroad on temporary or one-time assignments. In the second half of the XVII century, the widespread use of the word agent in the sense of "sales representative of the company" contributed to the development of the word already on Russian soil. Due to the absence of permanent diplomatic representatives in the Moscow State, agents began to engage in diplomatic activities. Thus, the sign "representative" became the basis for further semantic development of the word agent: it penetrates the diplomatic sphere and is used in relation to foreign diplomatic representatives. Only in the Russian language the word agent (XVII century) was used in the sense of "consul". Since the beginning of the 18th century, an agent in the sense of "diplomatic representative" has been common in the reports of Russian diplomats and in official acts. By this time, the functions of diplomatic agents are clearly defined: "1. A person without a diplomatic rank, an official authorized by the Government for political relations, and page 74 obse ... Читать далее