Whatever its influence may have been in Germany, it was the one means of reviving the Russian army. If the Russian and Allied Governments had succeeded in convincing the Russian army—not by mere statements but by evident facts—that Russia, in concert with her Allies, had renounced every kind of annexation, that they were making every effort to bring the war to an honourable conclusion as soon as possible, and that only Germany was prolonging the war in the interests of her policy of conquest, then millions of Russian soldiers (the Russian army at that time numbered at least eight millions) would have risen like a man in defence of Russia and the Allies. All Russia would have fought the more vigorously, since every soldier who longed for peace would have known that the only way to peace was through war. The Russian democracy certainly never suspected that difficulties would arise from the Allied side. On the contrary, they were convinced that the Allied democracies would go with them enthusiastically. They knew that there would be a struggle in the Allied countries, and that the imperialists would not easily give way; but they had no doubt of the final triumph of the democratic principles.
"We are prepared to back up the peoples of England, France and Italy by force of arms if they compel their Governments to renounce conquests and are none the less compelled to defend themselves against Germany. But we shall firmly protest against the continuation of the war for the interests of capital, whatever the national flag under which it sails." Such was the simple and straightforward message of the Russian democracy to the Allies. And the answer was at least as simple, but cruel and abrupt. The Allies refused to democratise the Allied war-aims, rejected all proposals to revise the treaties, and, instead, simply demanded that Russia should go on fighting. Having refused to help the Russian democracy in its efforts to re-inspire the army, the Allies nevertheless demanded that the
