Identifier: russiainshadows01well (find matches)
Title: Russia in the shadows
Year: 1921 (1920s)
Authors: Wells, H. G. (Herbert George), 1866-1946
Subjects: Communism
Publisher: New York, George H. Doran company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
sm had been directed to destroying anypossibility of an alternative government. Ithad subsisted on that one fact that, bad asit was, there was nothing else to put in itsplace. The first Russian Revolution, there-fore, turned Russia into a debating societyand a political scramble. The liberal forcesof the country, unaccustomed to action orresponsibility, set up a clamorous discussionwhether Russia was to be a constitutionalmonarchy, a liberal republic, a socialist re-public, or what not. Over the confusiongesticulated Kerensky in attitudes of thefinest liberalism. Through it loomed vari-ous ambiguous adventurers, *strong men,sham strong men, Russian monks and Rus-sian Bonapartes. What remained of so-cial order collapsed. In the closing monthsof 1917 murder and robbery were commonstreet incidents in Petersburg and Moscow,as common as an automobile accident in thestreets of London, and less heeded. On theReval boat was an American who had for-merly directed the affairs of the American 72
Text Appearing After Image:
THE STATUE OF MARX OUTSIDE THE SMOLNY INSTITUTE.(Headquarters of the Communist Party.) QUINTESSENCE OF BOLSHEVISM Harvester Company in Russia. He hadbeen in Moscow during this phase of com-plete disorder. He discribed hold-ups inopen daylight in busy streets, dead bodieslying for hours in the gutter—as a dead kit-ten might do in a western town—^whilecrowds went about their business along thesidewalk. Through this fevered and confused coun-try went the representatives of Britain andFrance, blind to the quality of the immenseand tragic disaster about them, intent onlyupon the war, badgering the Russians tokeep on fighting and make a fresh offensiveagainst Germany. But when the Germansmade a strong thrust towards Petersburgthrough the Baltic provinces and by sea,the British Admiralty, either through sheercowardice or through Royalist intrigues,failed to give any effectual help to Russia.Upon this matter the evidence of the lateLord Fisher is plain. And so this unhappycountry, mortall

Note About Images