Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 10.djvu/509

LEFT WORLD WAR 439 WORLD WAR declared its intention of remaining in the field against the Central Empires. But soon friction began to appear be- tween the two elements constituting the new government, the Socialists and the Conservatives. The rank and file of the army, having been told that a free Russia had been proclaimed, expected that they would suddenly be able to do as they pleased. This sentiment reflect- ed itself in the Council, or Soviet, by which name it became better known. Fortunately from among the radicals restatement of war aims. It demanded stronger representation in the govern- ment. Finally, on May 16, 1917, the Cabinet wa? reorganized, the most significant change being the resignation of Miliukov, and the assumption of the portfolio of War by Kerensky, the So- cialist. On July 1, Kerensky, as Minister of War, went personally to the front and endeavored to arouse the enthusiasm of the soldiers for the war. As a result an offensive was begun against the Germans FINL^^D y PETROGRAD 'rs/ARVA VOLOGDA YAROSLAV MOSCOW ^ • ■ • 60M Q- BRE5T-LIT0VSK LEMBERS I austriaL HUNGARY'* ! < * ^ /.v, <^ /BULGARIA •mohilev 'v ^*OREL. ^ KURS lEV EKATERINOSLAV ROSTOV ACJ< THE WAR IN RUSSIA arose a leader who for a time checked this tendency toward demoralization, Alexander Kerensky, a deputy in the Duma, and one of the organizers of the Soviet, By his personality he carried the Soviet to his way of thought, and the leaders made all efforts to restrain the rank and file. Kerensky represented the Soviet in the new government as Minis- ter of Justice. Differences between the Socialist Soviet and the Conservative Duma con- tinued, however. The Soviet wanted a and the Austrians, which, for a week, looked promising. But in the midst of their success the Russian forces suddenly collapsed, not through the resistance of the enemy, but because of their lack of desire to fight. Among the Socialists there was a minority faction, known as the Bolshe- viki, whose leaders were Nikolai Lenin and Leon Trotzsky. These were the ex- tremists. They held the belief that the war was being fought only for the moneyed classes, and not in the interests