Chapter 253 The Problem of the Russian Provisional Government
"I really didn't expect that a revolution would break out in Russia so quickly. It's just that the revolution is not that easy, poor Russians."
Eder looked at the message from the Romanian Embassy in St. Petersburg and sighed to Prime Minister Bretianu.
Although Edel was full of sympathy for the Russians, he did not win the Prime Minister's sympathy at all. Because the man in front of him was the leader behind the Russian smuggling channel, but no one dared to catch him. What I want to focus on here is that in the last two months of 1916
, Romania smuggled various goods in Russia, amounting to 106 million lei, which was higher than normal trade. Moreover, these goods were pocketed by Russian officials at 30%-50% of the actual value, causing Russia's
The loss was between 200 million and 300 million lei. The most important thing was that it made the financial pressure of the Russian government more serious, and the loss of materials became more and more alarming. Therefore, the Russian revolution broke out ahead of schedule, and His Majesty Edel played an indispensable role.
However, Edel has no intention of caring about the Russian people now. The revolution that broke out in advance caught Edel, who wanted to fish in it, a little unprepared. Many arrangements were not completed, which made him stop preparing to fight for the interests of Romania.
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"Right now, the Allied Powers have made no other moves towards our conditions. We just don't know if the situation in Russia can be stabilized."
Prime Minister Bretianu thought of the current negotiations and spoke to Edel with some apprehension.
Having worked together for many years, Edel knew that he was a little bit withdrawn when he heard the Prime Minister's words. When the revolution broke out in Russia, anyone with a discerning eye knew that this was a waste of half of the polar bear's combat power, because it needed a new government that focused mainly on domestic stability.
Only God knows how much energy can be devoted to the war. Edel, who knows history, thinks that he is not sure whether the new Russian Provisional Government can be Mu Zhi. If the Russian Provisional Government agrees to withdraw from the war, this will disrupt Edel.
plan. You must know that more than half of the new territory in his plan needs to be provided by Russia. If Romania is not disrupted, there will be no chance of success.
"Now we can only wait for news from St. Petersburg."
Eder told the Prime Minister about his plans because he knew that Britain and France were more concerned about Russia's actions than other countries. They needed Russia to hold back millions of German and Austrian troops and relieve the pressure on the Western Front.
In fact, Britain and France were most concerned about the revolution in Russia. After the revolution subsided and the provisional government was elected, the British and French ambassadors approached the newly formed provisional government about the matter and expressed their concerns about the new Russian government. Of course, they were most concerned about
The issue of whether Russia should continue to participate in the war. However, Lvov, who had just become Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs, did not dare to make his own decision, so he dragged along Foreign Minister Pavel Miliukov, Minister of Army and Navy Alexander Guchkov, and Minister of Finance Miliukov.
Khail Tereshchenko and others discussed.
Five members of this provisional government are Constitutional Democrats, so it is also called a Constitutional Democratic Party government. The Constitutional Democratic Party was established in 1905 and is composed of liberals, middle class and local parliamentarians. It advocates the establishment of a British-style democratic government in Russia.
of constitutional monarchy.
Lvov, the head of the government who holds two positions, asked Foreign Minister Pavel Miliukov to state the demands of Britain and France. In fact, all the ministers here are aware of the issues that Britain and France are concerned about, but in this regard they are completely inconsistent with public opinion.
Back. When they were inciting the people in the audience, they shouted loudly that they would withdraw from the war. They all relied on the support of the people to come to power. Isn't it difficult for them to make the decision to continue the war now?
As the head of the government, Prince Georgi Yevgenyevich Lvov, of course will not make this difficult decision by himself, but will have all relevant people convene for discussion.
Lvov is a descendant of the ancient Rurik dynasty of Russia. He was born in Dresden, the capital of the Kingdom of Saxony. He graduated from the Law Department of Moscow University in his early years. During the Russo-Japanese War, he presided over the work of the Red Cross in Manchuria. In 1905, he participated in the formation of the Cadet Party.
Later, he represented the party in the Duma for a long time. After the outbreak of World War I, he served as chairman of the General Committee of the Federation of Local Self-Government Agencies and was responsible for rear civil affairs. After the January Revolution, the provisional government was established, and Lvov became the first prime minister of Russia in the post-imperial era.
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After Foreign Minister Pavel Miliukov finished telling what everyone already knew, Lvov, as the head of the government, spoke. "Everyone knows the requirements of Britain and France, right? How should our new government respond now?
"
Lvov's words made it difficult for the ministers present to answer. So everyone began to study the tops of their feet, especially Alexander Guchkov, the Minister of Army and Navy, who felt that his newly made Italian calfskin shoes were dark and shiny.
A flower has grown and needs to be carefully observed. Seeing everyone's silence, Lvov was also a little angry. Usually when fighting for power, everyone's voice was louder than the last one. When it was his turn to deal with problems, he became speechless.
"This issue of Guchkov is related to your army. Please express your opinion."
Seeing that no one was talking, Lvov called out Guchkov's name first, not only because he was nominally in charge of the Land Navy, but also because he was an Octobrist.
The Octobrist Party is a non-revolutionary centrist Russian imperial party. Its official name is the October 17th Alliance. The Octobrist Party is a political party of Russia's large industrial and commercial bourgeoisie and bourgeois landlords. It was founded in November 1905 and was organized by local autonomy.
The right-wing representatives of the movement were formed in conjunction with the Economic Progress Party and the Alliance of Industry and Commerce. The party supported the "Declaration of October 17" promulgated by Nicholas II, so it was named after the time when the "Declaration" was published.
Guchkov, who was named by Lvov, cursed secretly in his heart and could not cheer up. "I think Britain and France, as our allies, we need to listen carefully to their demands. We also need to understand the wishes of the people, so this
It’s something we need to think more about.”
After hearing Guchkov's nonsense, Lvov couldn't help but said, "Mr. Guchkov, what is your opinion?"
After seeing that there was no way to delay, Guchkov expressed his decision. "I think the current morale of the army is not high, and there is a lot of military supplies missing, so it is not suitable to continue fighting."
Upon hearing Guchkov's words, Mikhail, who is the Minister of Finance, retorted. "If there is an armistice, our government will immediately go bankrupt. We will not be able to repay France's debt alone, and our government's tax revenue can only be maintained at present."
By May, there will only be bankruptcy after that, so it is difficult for us to refuse the conditions of Britain and France."
As a non-party person, Mikhail said something that the ministers here did not dare to say, making the meeting even more boring. Everyone understands the truth, but after sitting in this position, some issues cannot be looked at simply.
.Quiting from the war is the wish of all Russian people, but the debt pressing by Britain and France after withdrawing from the war can bankrupt any successor government. This is an endless cycle.
This also became a problem for the interim government.
