The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-24
From the Christian Science Monitor.
 NN NE of the keys to the present sit

From the Christian Science Monitor
 @ NE of the keys to the present sit II uation in Russia is, of course. to
 W be found in the development of Deutschtum, or German nationalism, in the Russian body polite, especially in that part of it which is comprised in the term "the Baltic provinces" To find it's beginnings it is necessary to go back some 200 years, to the days Of Peter the Great It was Peter the Great who was first amongst Russian rulers to carry out in its fullness the idea of an absolute monarchy in Russia, and to recognize the vast power which might be wielded in that country by the benevolent despot who knew every move in his craft. He cast the boundaries of his schemes far afield determined to wrench Russia away from the past, and to make the country anew after a model of his own devtslng. So he moved his capital from Moscow to the banks of the Neva- and from there embarked on his great work of revolu- tion.
 Under the name of reform, Peter un- dertook to revolutionize the whole nation al life of Russia. He broke down the boy ardom, crippled the power of the Russian aristocracy, completely subjected the church to tho state, and never rested until he ''hreathed freely" as an absolute monarch. To effect all this. he stood in need of a large number of clever men, used to executive work, and the art of gov erning as it was then understood. Above all, he needed men who would render him unquestioning obedience, and who would not be influenced in any degree by the traditions of the past, which they were called upon to overthrow. Such men were not to be found amongst the native
 Russians, so Peter called to his aid the German barons of the Baltic provinces, and, after his conquests of Esthonia and Livonia, relied upon these men to an ex- tent, the magnitude of which only the
 subsequent years revealed
 The German barons had always been
 used to ruling subject races, and they did their work well. Peter never intend- ed. of course, to confer upon them any privileges over Russians His employ ment of them was a temporary measure
 until those Russians whom he had sent
 all over Europe, to acquire all they could of western learning and statecraft, could
 return to their own country and take
 over the work of government under his complete control. The German baron, however once established in power, had
 no idea of relinquishing 1t. and whilst, during Peters time. all apparently went
 we'll under his successors German influ-
 ence grew steadily stronger, until it was
 practically the only. influence that
 counted. Intermarriages with members
 of the German dynasties brought to St. Petersburg a veritable swarm of the lesser members of the German nobility,
 and these were followed by German teachers and professors, until gradually it came to be recognized that the German,
 whoever he was and whatever position he
 might hold. was entitled to special priv Iileges The German barons from the Bal | tice provinces permanently established themselves in St. Petersburg, They had
 been invited there. in the first instance
 and they and their successors studiously
 fostered tho tradition that they had been scalled upon to govern the empire. Sd
 German influence spread in all directions