Arizona republican., 1917-03-17
Russia and the War

The uneasiness evidently prevails in Berlin
London and Paris concerning the effect the
of the Russian revolution and the abdication Of
Nicholas. Both London and Berlin profess to in
the new change an advantage, but in the cases of
both the wish is father to the thought. Little is
of the immediate of the revolution but
it seems that the war has not figured among them
at ALL but if so, indirectly.
The crisis which has approached in
July. 1914, thirty days before the outbreak of the
great war. That only another phase trouble
which manifested itself in the closing months
Russo-Japanese
In July, three all the large cities were in
the throes of strikes and demonstrations. But the
outbreak of the brought the people together. The
duma met and pledged its support for the defense of
the Fatherland The government at the same time
promised concessions and permitted the holding of
conventions by the Union of Zemstvos and the Union
of Cities for the purpose of organizing the
the of the wounded and for relief of the
population.
The successful campaign of the Russian armies
Galica late that year changed the aspect of things
The government not only neglected it's promises.
Its program of reform in Poland carried
and its Galicia the old program of
classification.
The duma became active again in its opposition
to the government and continued its opposition until
it prorogued in September of 1915. Since then
Russia has been seething Shortage of food what
seems to have accomplished the revolution. Hunger
brought the discordant elements opposition to
government together for the overthrow of the
The therefore, appears have had nothing to
do with the revolution except in far it
tributed to the food shortage
OF the regent Michael Alexandrovitch, younger
brother of the late czar almost nothing is known
TJa has in II ir he io
favorable to those reforms which the duma has
demanded and which be regarded by the duma
more important than the war; it would not have
insisted upon them at so critical a period.
The abdication of the recalls episode in
the of Frederick the Great In the Seven Years
War Austria, Russia, Sweden and France were ar
rayed against him. England his only ally. On
the death of Pitt, England withdrew leaving Fred
erick alone against his four powerful foes The
slams and Austrians had overrun Prussia and raided
Berlin Then the Empress Elizabeth Russia,
Fredericks implacable enemy, died, and Peter III
assembled the throne The Russians allied
with the Prussians and the tide turned Everywhere
Frederick victorious and the events followed
that made him known in history the Great"
Austria beaten France withdrew and Sweden
ceased to be power to be seriously reckoned with.
Before the struggle quite Peter de-
posed and succeeded by Catherine H. She did not
care TO remain the military partner of Prussia,
TO fight Frederick. The Russian troops were with
drawn, but by that time the allies crippled
beyond recovery.
The circumstances by parallel those
of 1882 There can be reason why Russian
form government should become an ally of Germany
only little less autocratic than the of
which Russians have been freed The question is
Will it appear to the government that that the
Russia is to be benefited by continuance of the
war?
We do not think that France and Great Britain
have implicitly trusted Russia outbreak
of the war. While perhaps not actually fearing a
peace they have evidently regarded deser-
ton by Russia a possibility