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1917]
THE SOVIETS SUPREME
479
Soviets. Even the hot-headed and obstructive Kerensky
and his acolytes had no real voice in the matter; they
possessed influence in so far as they obeyed the Soviets.
And then a dramatic dialogue began between the
so-called Government and the so-called "People,"the like
of which history has never yet recorded.
"We give in to you on all the principles which
we have always cherished," said Prince Lvoff, MM.
Rodzianke, Gutchkoff, Miliukoff, Generals Alexeieff,
Brussiloff, Korniloff, Ruzsky and others; " we give up
the constitutional monarchy, we abrogate all the honorary
prerogatives of the officers, we abandon for ever the
right to own land, we are ready to welcome with open
arms and to accept as colleagues and collaborators all
the revolutionaries who come to us out of prisons, from
Siberia, from abroad, including Anarchists and
Bolsheviks—only allow us to preserve the minimum of order in
the country (and the Army), and above all leave to us
the direction of the war and the accomplishment of the
recognised objects of that war. Recognise with us
the great principles of a free, undivided and powerful
country—the principle of Danton and Robespierre:
will you ? "
But the "people" who scoffed at Robespierre and
Danton answered in coarse terms and finally drove away
these boring personages with the butt-end of their rifles.
" We surrender to you the few principles we have
recognised up to now," said M. Kerensky and his friends ;
"we accept the formula no indemnities, no annexations, we
are ready to guide your footsteps towards the
communist paradise, we joyfully consent to the most broadly
’federative’ dismemberment of what up to now has
been Russia; only permit us to save our face before
strangers, preserve at least the appearance of a country
faithful to its allies, persuade your brothers at the front
not to desert the trenches entirely, not to run away all
in a body !"
But the "people" of the soldiers, of the criminal
sailors, of the workmen and of the peasants, greedy
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