Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1914-11-20
REPLY TO G. B. SHAW
Sasha Kropotkin Gives Russia's
Side OF Controversy.
Declares That II German Mllitarism
la Crushed, Europe Has No
Need to Fear the
Muscovlte.
International News servIcel


Petrograd Much has been SAID
and written since August l Of tbs
causes of the great European war anC
I the attitudes, aims and ambitions oil
/ Germany, England and France In the
struggle. but little has been heard Of
Russia's side of the affair.
Sasha Kropotkin, one OF the best In
formed Russians and a man who
knows whereof he speaks, has written
the following article on the war from
the Russana viewpoint;
ITO say that the present is a war
against militarism is to be guilty of
a platitude For days past every
leader writer in the country has been
saying SO. Yet the attitude on this
subject OF a great number Of people
is extremely curious. They seem to
be oppressed By the thought that they
may have to cry, when the war is
over, lie roi est mort, vive lie roi.
After Germany-Russia.
England cannot crush German mill
itarism alone All Of us who have
followed the lead Of Germany for
forty years must strike together. Bel
GUM has struck her blow. France
and Russia will strike harder; per-
haps the heaviest blow will come
from Russia And there Is the rub.
For what il Ruseia, having helped to
crush Germany, develops a psychol-
ogy analogous to that of Germany
after 1870, and after tasting power de-
cides to become the greatest of all
fosters the spirit of militarism which
we are now arrayed against?
Let us picture Russia victorious.
Then, so argues Mr.. Bernard Shaw
(and in the given case he represents
not only himself, but quite a number
of other people,; The Russian govern
ment will triumph Germany
will be crushed the balance
OF power will incline In favor of Rus
STA. After that the situation becomes
too horrible to contemplate.
"Mr. Shaw might be reminded that
there is another Russia-the Russia
Of Tolstoi, Borodine and Cork. But
for the time that is forgotten; or
people refuse to realize the extremely
important fact that II Russia is instru-
mental in defeating Germany it will
be largely owing to the intelligence
Of that other Russia
Russians have sunk their differ
snces; they are showing a united |
front. A month ago there were barri-
,ades in st. Petersburg: the day the |
var was declared the barbados dis
appeared, and the men who had held |
hem were the first to join the army |
rhey were willing to lay aside their
grievances In the desire to
trike a blow at Germany; and it is
military Germany at which they are
lining the blow For those men and
women owe an enormous debt to the
ulture of Germany. They know more
bout It, too, than the men and wom-
n of many other countries, having
tudied It more closely, eager to as
initiate what was best in it. At the
anne time they realize perfectly that
he first culture to droop and wither
1 the sitting atmosphere of German
lilitarism is German culture. From
IMPLYING the world with the best
lusic and literature and philosophy,
ermany has become an authority on
informs and decorative dinnerware.
he Germans may have fashioned a
reat empire. but they have become a
nall people.
Nov. at last, they may become a
-eat people. II Europe succeeds in
lrsting the bonds of militarism tho /
rst to benefit by the change viii be
ermany
Mr. Shaw talks glibly OF the neces-
ty of conserving Germany's eastern
ontier. Why? Against whom and /,
hat? II Is not Germanys eastern
ontier that has mattered one jot in !
e European balance OF civilization; /
is that Russia lay beyond that from $
Or and served as the bulwark not i
ily of Germany but of Europe l
,ainst the Tartars who overran her |
ID put back civilization by a couple :,
centuries. II is idle speculation. !
L an interesting point nevertheless, :
wonder whether Germany would g
We maintained as much culture as d
issia has done had she been forced /
bear the brunt OF such an invasion. o
Russian bureaucracy. as ali bu- ;
sucracies. has welcomed milltarism, u
d has counted on 1t confidently as .
support, With a weaker Germany y
ere win no longer be either excuse p
necessity for encouraging 1t; and /,
, bureaucracy will lose ground pro- p
oil
1t is obvious that II progressive VI
ssia has Joined forces with reac- OF
Nary Russia for the moment II is u
cause she feels herself strong =,
ough TO postpone her own demands. y.
d In that case she is hardly likely .,
allow herself to be yoked with a. \,
me-srown milltarism after she has to
aside her own grievances while Id