Democracy and Bolshevism

THE Russian problem became the central European problem, and the central world problem, not a year ago, not two years ago, not since the revolution of March, 1917.The Russian problem has been the central European and the central world problem for several decades.Let us go back to the revolution in 1905, the first open revolt of the people against the Czar's rule.If you will recall the events of the revolution of 1905-1906, you will recall also that there were moments in this revolution when it seemed that victory would rest with the people.In October, 1905, the Czar had to grant a constitution.In April, 1906, when the first Duma presented the Czar with an address demanding liberal reforms, the structure of the old r6gime was tottering.Do you realize what happened to the entire world at the moment when the Russian people, the democracy of Russia, was defeated by the Czar's government in 1906?If you will recall the German literature, the military writings and even the general press, before 1914, you will find that the plan openly discussed by the German press was, in case of war, to crush France first and then turn to the East to meet the Russian armies.The German logic was that since the Czar's gov- ernment was so unpopular in Russia, the population would not answer the Czar's call for mobilization, and that very probably a declaration of war would throw all Russia into the flames of a revolution.Consequently the Germans would have time enough to rush to Paris, to defeat France, and then turn to the Eastern front and snap up Russia, all in revolutionary flames.It is probable that, had the revolution in 1905 been successful, then nine years later, in 1914, Russia as a nation would have been so strongly united, and the alliance of a democratic Russia with the democracies of France and England would have been so natural that the German militarists and imperialists would not even have thought of starting the European slaughter.That means that

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