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PROSPECTS OF REGENERATION 101
103
tion of the civil administration and of military power, civil
war, and the bankruptcy of finance. The Allies appreciated
the full significance of these facts, and rightly decided on
an armed intervention. The proclamations then issued to
the Russian people made it quite clear that there is a
fundamental difference between such an action and the
unwarranted occupation of Little Russia by German troops.
Either intervention may be explained as saving Russia
from herself for the sake of her own peace and order, but
it is in the interests of the future relations of the Allies
with Russia to avoid anything like an imitation of a mode
of action which Germany has forced, and it would be doubly
fatal to the Allies if they were to take steps of a character
which might be considered by Russians as no less humiliating
than the invasion of their territory by the Germans
themselves. To that effect the Allied intervention should assist
the elements of order in setting up a thoroughly Russian
government worthy of the name without actually taking
the rule of the country in their own hands. In Russia’s
own interests, therefore, as well as for her creditors,
intervention in her affairs of State become more and more imperative,
in order to counteract and control the influence which the
Central Powers are already wielding in that direction. It
is necessary to establish in Russia :
(1) A counter-weight to the independent and uncontrolled
influence of Germany and Austria-Hungary ; and
(2) A benevolent temporary guardianship on behalf of
civilisation and the comity of nations.
If these two propositions be right, then the result must
be co-operative action in some sort of form, possibly similar
to the attitude adopted by the Great Powers in subduing
the Chinese Boxer Rebellion. Allied intervention should
cope with civil war in Russia and avoid disruption of the
country into two opposite camps, one siding with the Central
Powers, the other with Great Britain and her Allies.
A Government authority would have to be created,
relying upon the confidence and active support of all
civilised nations having interests to defend in Russia,
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