Page:Michael Farbman - The Russian Revolution & The War (1917).djvu/35

 how could peace be made with Imperialistic Germany!

But though there was not the least thought of a separate peace, the whole conception and mentality of the Revolution was for a speedy ending of the war. There were two factors in this conception. One was the sheer difficulty of going on with the war in face of the legacy of disorganisation left by the old régime—disorganisation economic, military and social. At one and the same time Russia was faced by the greatest political crisis in her history; by the financial crisis which has brought her almost to the verge of ruin; by the transport crisis, or rather breakdown; and by the economic crisis that seemed incurable. Catastrophe seemed so imminent that the only hope of salvation for Russia lay in a speedy ending of the war. That was the first factor; the second factor in this mentality was that peace really seemed attainable. It was believed that the chief obstacle to peace had been Tsarist Imperialism. With its removal the path seemed open. That West-