They were pro-Ally in the large sense, and desired to see the Allies win over the Central Empires, if not a “crushing” victory, a very definite and conclusive one.  But they regarded the alliance of Czarism with the Allies as an unnatural marriage.  They believed that autocratic Russia’s natural alliance was with autocratic Germany and Austria.  Their hatred of Czarism led them to wish for its defeat, even by Germany, provided the victory were not so great as to permit Germany to extend her domain over Russia or any large part of it.  Their position became embodied in the phrase, “Victory by the Allies on the west and Russia’s defeat on the east.”  This was, of course, utterly unpractical theorizing and bore no relation to reality.

V

Thanks in part to the vigorous propaganda of such leaders as Plechanov, Deutsch, Bourtzev, Tseretelli, Kerensky, and many others, and in part to the instinctive good sense of the masses, support of the war by Socialists of all shades and factions—­except the extreme Bolsheviki and the so-called “Internationalist” sections of Mensheviki and Socialist-Revolutionists—­became general.  The anti-war minority was exceedingly small and had no hold upon the masses.  Had the government been both wise and honestly desirous of presenting a united front to the foe, and to that end made intelligent and generous concessions to the democratic movement, it is most unlikely that Russia would have collapsed.  As it was, the government adopted a policy which could not fail to weaken the military force of the nation—­a policy admirably suited to German needs.

Extremes meet.  On the one hand there were the Porazhentsi Socialists, contending that the interests of progress would be best served by a German victory over Russia, and plotting to weaken and corrupt the morale of the Russian army and to stir up internal strife to that end.  On the other hand, within the royal court, and throughout the bureaucracy, reactionary pro-German officials were animated by the belief that the victory of Germany was essential to the permanence of Absolutism and autocratic government.  They, too, like the Socialist “defeatists,” aimed to weaken and corrupt the morale of the army and to divide the nation.

These Germanophiles in places of power realized that they had unconscious but exceedingly useful allies in the Socialist intransigents.  Actuated by motives however high, the latter played into the hands of the most corrupt and reactionary force that ever infested the old regime.  This force, the reactionary Germanophiles, had from the very first hoped and believed that Germany would win the war.  They had exerted every ounce of pressure they could command to keep the Czar from maintaining the treaty with France and entering into the war on her side against Germany and Austria.  When they failed in this, they bided their time, full of confidence that the superior efficiency of the