he efforts of its
armies by treasonable neglect, if not worse, and in the opinion of many
neutral observers, destroyed the last chance of a German victory in the
war. The effect of the revolution on Germany was twofold--it darkened
her military outlook, and gave a tremendous impulse to the latent
liberal forces within her empire. Its effect on the war was almost
equivalent to bringing a new nation into the camp of the Allies. Its
meaning to German democracy was thus stated:

"Germany has been taught to believe that the European war was
inaugurated by Russia for aggressive purposes. Germany's democratic
leaders repeatedly pointed to Czarism as the evil spirit dominating
the Entente. The object of the Central Powers was proclaimed to be
the overthrow of the Russian autocratic menace. Therefore the Russian
revolution may profoundly move German democracy. This is probably its
greatest disillusionment since the war began."

CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION.

To get a clear picture of the conditions that produced the revolution,
it is necessary to remember that from a very early period the
German-born Czarina and the clique of pro-German reactionaries whom
her influence made powerful with the Czar, were bent on ending the war
prematurely in the interests of reaction. The Ministers set up under
these auspices for over two years acted in defiance of public opinion.
Their policy was not obscure: they hampered the army in respect of
munitions, disorganized the country in respect of its distributive
services, brought about artificial famine in a land which is one of the
world's chief food-producers, and themselves, through police agents,
sought to stir up abortive revolts in order that they might plead
military failure and internal revolution as a reason for withdrawing
from the war.

The Russian people foiled them for a long time by magnificent and
much-enduring patriotism. When the government left the army without
munitions, the local authorities--the zemstvos and unions of
towns--stepped in and organized their supply. When police agents tried
to bring about riots and strikes, the workmen's own leaders prevented
their breaking out. When secret negotiations were opened up with
Germany, the Duma blasted them by public exposure on the popular side.

The Duma's demand for sympathetic and really national government was
enforced, first by the Council of the Empire, normally the stronghold of
high officialdom, and then by the Congress of