Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-03-24
Reign of Nicholas IL
I0ol.1017

"On LIST November, 1894, Alexander III died.
and was succeeded by his son. Nicholas IL,
who partly from similarity of character and
partly from veneration for his fathers mem
DRY, continued the existing lines OF policy IN
home and foreign affairs. The expectation
entertained in many quarters that great leg
islative changes would at once be made IN d
fuential deputation from the province or
Tver. which had long enjoyed reputation
for liberalism, ventured to hint in a loyal ad-
dress that the time had come Tor changes IN
the existing autocratic regime, they received
reply which showed that the emperor had
no intention of making any SUCH changes.
Private suggestions in the same sense, OF
fered directly and respectfully. were no better
received, and no important changes were
made in the legislation of the preceding reign.
But a great alteration took place noiselessly
in the manner of carrying out the laws and
ministerial circulars.
Though resembling his father IN the main
points of his character the young tsar was
of a more humane disposition. and he was
much less of doctrinaire. With his father
aspiration of making Holy Russia a homo
geneous empire he thoroughly sympathized in
principle but he disliked the systematic per-
secution of Jews heretics and schismatics to
which it gave rise, and he let 1t be under
stood, without any formal order or proclama-
ton, that the severe measures hitherto en-
ployed would not meet with his approval.
The officials were not slow to take the hint.
Nicholas II showed, however, that his fathers
policy of classification was neither to be re-
versed nor to be abandoned.
What contributed powerfully to the con-
clusion of the Russo Japanese war was the
fact that the Russian government was
hampered by internal troubles. The old Lib
eral movement and the terrorist organza-
tons which had been suppressed by. AleXan-
der III were being resuscitated and the lib
eral and revolutionary leaders, taking ad-
vantage of the unpopularity Of the war, were
agitating for the conyocation of a Constituent
Assembly. which. should replace the hated
bureaucratic regime by the democratic in
stitutions With great reluctance the tsar
consented to convoke a consultative chamber
of deputies a sop to public opinion, but
concession
Gained public opinion, and shortly after the
conclusion of peace the Liberals and the Rev
dictionaries, combining their forces. brought
about general strike in st. Petersburg to-
sether with the stoppage OF railway COM
munication all the empire
"Panic-stricken for a moment, the govern :
ment issued manifesto proclaiming Lib eral
all manner of political reforms October 80.
1860. and when the inordinate expectations
created by this extraordinary document were
not at once realized, preparations were made
for overthrowing the existing regime by
means of armed insurrection. Many be-
lieved that the end of autocracy had come,
and an extemporized Council of Labour De-
uties, anxious to play the part of Comite de
Salut Public, was ready to take over the su
preme power and exercise it in the interests
of the proletariat. In reality the revolution
airy movement was not so strong and the
government not so weak as was generally
supposed 49,. ..,.s.-
suits of the october manifesto the tsar kept
his promise of convoking a legislative as
sembly and on the 10th of May. 1906, the
first duma was opened by: his majesty in per-
son: but it was so systematically and Vio-
lently hostile to the government and de-
termined to obtain executive, in addition to
its legislative. functions. that it was dis
solved on the 23d of July without any legis-
latiye work being accomplished
THE second duma, which met on the 5th
of March, 1907, avoided some of the mistakes
OF its predecessor. but as legislative as
sembly it showed itself equally incompetent
and large section of it's members i'm
plicated in a well organized attempt to sp.ead
EelitiOn
ganda 1t was dissolved therefore, the
10th of June, 1907, and the electoral law
which had given such unsatisfactory results
was modified by imperial ukase.
The third duma was subsequently con-
voked for the 14th of November 1907
"At the end of 1910 the Russian revoII-
ton which seemed at time to promise
ancient regime in France. would seem to
have entered on a path of orderly and con-
sentative development.
THE supreme peril to the autocracy in
Russia lay in the genuine grievances of the
peasants less political than economic, which
had opened their minds to revolutionary
propaeanda These grievances once removed
and their legitimate land hunger satisfied
the peasants would become 4 bulwark of the
established order, whatever that might be-
as had happened in similar circumstances in
Austria in lS49. AS for the revolutionary
intellectuals' without the lever of agrarian
discomfort they were practically poweress
the more so their political activity con-
sisted mainly. in building theories for an
imaginary world
From the Encyclopaedia Britannica
WzzzzZZZZZzzZNZZZ ZzzzzzzzZZzzNI,
h ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA, II
n 12O w. 32d St, New York. n