Russian army should undertake an offensive as it was. And when this senseless offensive, carried out owing to the insistence of the Allies against all strategical considerations, led to an appalling catastrophe, as it was bound to do, and brought about the final ruin of the Russian army, the Allies washed their hands of Russia.
On March 14 the Soviet issued its Manifesto, and on the 27th the Provisional Government associated itself with the principle of no annexations and no indemnities. At once in the Allied countries the cry was raised that the Russian democracy was contemplating a separate peace. The situation became very curious. The Russian democracy approached the Allies with the most urgent request to help them in the struggle for a general peace; and, if a general peace appeared impossible, to give them the possibility of reorganising the army. Instead of answering their request and lending assistance, the Allies began to accuse them of wanting to make a separate peace with the enemy. Their accusation was as illogical as it was dishonest. It was a kind of "political strategy" to obscure the issue and to avoid making a definite reply. But at first the Russian democracy took it in good faith and considered it as an honest misunderstanding. As soon as they were aware of it, they began to make all possible efforts to convince the Western democracies that they were mistaken in their interpretation of Russia's intentions. They did this so decisively and so completely that the greatest sceptics must have been forced to realise that the accusation of the Allies was without foundation. The democracy, the Government, the democratic Press, every meeting of soldiers or workers, congresses of Soviets and Soldiers' Delegates: all of them emphatically stated that there was not the least idea of making a separate peace. The Russian democracy denounced fraternisation as soon as the suspicion arose that it could be interpreted as a separate peace. They indignantly refused to listen to the numerous offers of separate peace. But nothing helped. The legend of "separate
