THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THE WAR
On August 22nd we returned to Tsarskoïe-Selo, where the Czar was to be
obliged to spend some time before he could get away to General
Headquarters. Decisions of the utmost importance required his presence
near the capital.
Notwithstanding the terrible weight of responsibility on his shoulders,
the Czar never showed such firmness, resolution, and conscious energy as
during this period at the beginning of the war. His personal influence
had never been exerted with more authority. It seemed as if he had
devoted himself body and soul to the formidable task of leading Russia
to victory. We felt he was inspired by some inward force and a dour
determination to conquer which communicated itself to everyone with whom
he came in contact.
The Czar was shy and retiring by nature. He belonged to the category of
human beings who are always hesitating because they are too diffident
and are ever slow to impose their will on others because they are too
gentle and sensitive. He had little faith in himself and imagined that
he was one of the unlucky ones. Unfortunately his life seemed to show
that he was not entirely wrong. Hence his doubts and hesitations. But
this time it seemed as if he had changed. What was it gave him his
confidence?
In the first place the Czar believed that his cause was a holy cause.
The events of the end of July had enabled him to see through the
duplicity of Germany to which he had nearly fallen a victim. He also
felt that he had never been so near to his people. He seemed to be borne
along by them. His journey to Moscow had shown him how popular the war
was and how much the nation appreciated the fact that his firm and
dignified attitude had enhanced its prestige in the eyes of the outside
world. The enthusiasm of the masses had never before been demonstrated
with the same spontaneous fervour. He felt that he had the whole country
behind him, and he hoped that political passion, which had vanished in
the presence of the common peril, would not revive so long as the war
was in progress.
The disaster of Soldau, in East Prussia, occurred a few days after his
arrival in Moscow, but it had not shaken his confidence. He knew the
cause of that terrible defeat had been that the concentration of the
troops had not been complete, and that General Samsonoff’s army had had
to advance into German territory too fast in order to attract some of
the enemy forces to itself and thus relieve the Western Front. That
defeat had had its compensation a week later in the victory of the
Marne. It was not right to bewail a sacrifice which had saved France and
therefore ultimately Russia herself. It is true that the same result
could have been obtained with less loss and that the Russian High
Command was not free from blame, but this was one of the misfortunes
which are always possible in the early days of a campaign.
The Czar thus preserved all his confidence and energy. At the very
beginning of the war, and notwithstanding the opposition of many
influential people, he had prohibited the production and sale of
spirits. The step meant a serious loss to the Treasury, and that at a
time when money was wanted more than ever. But his faith had been
stronger than all the objections which had been urged. He had also acted
personally in endeavouring to replace all unpopular Ministers by men who
seemed to have the confidence of the Duma. In that way he desired to
emphasise his wish for closer collaboration with the representatives of
the people.
On October 3rd the Czar had gone to G.H.Q., where he spent three days.
Then after a short visit to the troops in the region of Brest and Kovno,
he had returned to Tsarskoïe-Selo.
Henceforth he made periodic visits to the front and the interior of the
country, seeing the different sectors of the immense front, the clearing
stations and military hospitals, the factories and, in fact, everything
which played any part in the conduct of the terrible war.
The Czarina had devoted herself to the cause of the wounded from the
start, and she had decided that the Grand-Duchesses Olga Nicolaïevna and
Tatiana Nicolaïevna should assist her in her task. All three of them
took a course in nursing, and passed several hours of every day caring
for the wounded who were sent to Tsarskoïe-Selo. Her Majesty, sometimes
with the Czar and sometimes alone with her two daughters, paid several
visits to the Red Cross establishments in the towns of Western and
Central Russia. At her suggestion, many military hospitals had been
organised, as well as ambulance trains specially fitted up for the
evacuation of the wounded to the rear, a process which was often very
slow owing to the immense distances. Her example had been followed, and
private initiative had never been displayed with the same enthusiasm and
generosity.
Lastly a congress of all the _zemstvos_[35] and the municipalities of
Russia had assembled in Moscow to organise the resources of the country.
Under the influence of energetic and disinterested individuals the
congress had rapidly been converted into a potent piece of machinery,
with immense resources at its command and in a position to give the
Government the most valuable help.
In its scope and the patriotic fervour behind it this movement had been
unprecedented in Russian history. The war had become a truly national
war.
The month of September had been marked for Russia by alternating
victories and reverses. In East Prussia the defeat of Tannenberg had
been followed by that of the Masurian Lakes, where the superiority of
the Germans had been demonstrated once again. In Galicia, on the other
hand, the Russians had captured Lemberg, and continued their
irresistible advance, inflicting serious losses on the Austrian army,
which had fallen back into the Carpathians. In the following month the
Germans tried to secure Warsaw, but their furious onslaught had been
broken against the splendid resistance of the Russians. The losses on
both sides had been heavy.
In December the Czar paid a visit to the Caucasus, where the Southern
Army was operating. He was anxious to spend a little time with the
troops who were fighting under the most trying conditions against the
Turkish divisions massed on the Armenian frontier. On his return he
joined the Czarina at Moscow, and the children also were brought there
to meet him. The Czar visited the military schools and with Her
Majesty, his son and daughters, several times made the rounds of the
hospitals and nursing establishments in that city.
During the five days we spent at Moscow the enthusiasm of the people had
been every bit as great as in August, and it was with real regret that
Their Majesties left the ancient capital of Muscovy, the Czar leaving
for G.H.Q. and the other members of the family returning to
Tsarskoïe-Selo.
After the New Year’s Day celebrations the Czar resumed his periodical
visits to the front. The army was then preparing for the great offensive
which was to take place in March.
* * * * *
Throughout this winter the health of the Czarevitch had been very
satisfactory, and his lessons could proceed along regular lines. In the
early spring Her Majesty informed me that the Czar and she had decided,
in view of the circumstances, to dispense with the appointment of a
_vospitatiet_ for Alexis Nicolaïevitch for the moment. Contrary to my
expectations, I thus found myself compelled to shoulder the immense
burden of responsibility alone for some time longer, and to find some
means of filling up the gaps in the Heir’s education. I had a strong
feeling that it was essential that he should get away from his ordinary
environment, even if it were only for a few hours a day, and try to
establish contact with real life. I applied for and obtained a General
Staff map of the country, and I planned a series of motor drives which
enabled us gradually to cover all the district around within a radius of
twenty miles. We used to start out immediately after lunch, and often
stopped at villages to watch the peasants at work. Alexis Nicolaïevitch
liked questioning them, and they always answered him with the frank,
kindly simplicity of the Russian _moujik_, not having the slightest idea
whom they were speaking to. The railway lines of the suburbs of St.
Petersburg had a great attraction for the boy. He took the liveliest
interest in the activities of the little stations we passed and the work
of repair on the track, bridges, etc.
The palace police grew alarmed at these excursions, which took us beyond
the guarded zone, especially as our route was not known beforehand. I
was asked to observe the rules in force, but I disregarded them, and our
drives continued as before. The police then changed their procedure, and
whenever we left the park we were certain to see a car appear and follow
in our tracks. It was one of Alexis Nicolaïevitch’s greatest delights to
try and throw it off the scent, and now and then we were successful.
My particular anxiety, however, was to find companions for the Imperial
Heir. This was a problem most difficult to solve. Fortunately
circumstances themselves conspired to make good this deficiency to a
certain extent. Dr. Derevenko had a son who was almost the same age as
Alexis Nicolaïevitch. The two boys got to know each other, and were soon
good friends. No Sunday, _fête_ day or holiday passed without them
meeting. They were together every day ultimately, and the Czarevitch
even obtained permission to visit the house of Dr. Derevenko, who lived
in a little villa not far from the palace. He often spent whole
afternoons there with his friend and playmate in the modest home of a
_bourgeois_ family. There was a good deal of criticism of this
innovation, but Their Majesties would not interfere. They were so
unaffected in their own private life that they could not but encourage
the same tastes in their children.
Yet the war had already brought some very remarkable change in our life
at the palace. It had always been austere, and now became even more so.
The Czar was away a good deal. The Czarina and her two elder daughters
almost always wore the costume of a nurse, and divided their time
between visits to the hospitals and the innumerable duties arising out
of their work for the relief of the wounded. The Czarina was very tired
even when the war began. She had spent herself without counting the
consequences, devoting herself with the enthusiasm and ardour she
brought to everything to which she set her hand. Although her health was
severely shaken, she displayed remarkable physical elasticity. She
seemed to derive comfort and strength from the accomplishment of the
splendid task which she had undertaken. It was as if she found that it
satisfied her craving for self-devotion and enabled her to forget the
poignant anxiety and apprehension that the Czarevitch’s illness caused,
even in its inactive periods.
Another result of the war, as agreeable as unexpected, was that Rasputin
had retired into the background. At the end of September he had returned
from Siberia completely recovered from the terrible wound which had all
but ended his days. But everything pointed to the fact that since his
return he was being more or less neglected. In any case, his visits were
more and more infrequent. It was true that as Alexis Nicolaïevitch had
been so much better during the winter there had been no need to resort
to his intervention, so that he had found himself deprived of what had
been his great stand-by.
But when all is said, his power remained quite formidable. I had proof
of the fact a short time after, when Madame Wyroubova was all but killed
in a terrible railway accident. She was nearly dead when she was dragged
from under the fragments of a shattered carriage, and had been brought
to Tsarskoïe-Selo in a condition which seemed desperate. In her terror
the Czarina had rushed to the bedside of the woman who was almost her
only friend. Rasputin, who had been hastily sent for, was there also. In
this accident the Czarina saw a new proof of the evil fate which seemed
to pursue so relentlessly all those whom she loved. As she asked
Rasputin in a tone of anguish whether Madame Wyroubova would live, he
replied:
“God will give her back to you if she is needed by you and the country.
If her influence is harmful, on the other hand, He will take her away. I
cannot claim to know His impenetrable designs.”
It must be admitted that this was a very clever way of evading an
awkward question. If Madame Wyroubova recovered he would have earned her
eternal gratitude, as, thanks to him, her recovery would seem to
consecrate, as it were, her mission with the Czarina. If she died, on
the other hand, Her Majesty would see in her death a manifestation of
the inscrutable ways of Providence, and thus be the more easily consoled
in her loss.[36]
Rasputin’s intervention had helped him to recover his influence, but his
triumph was short-lived. In spite of everything, we felt that something
had changed, and that he was not so important as he had been. I was
delighted to note the fact, particularly as shortly before I had had a
long talk on the subject of the _staretz_ with the Swiss Minister in
Petrograd.[37] The information he gave me in the course of our
conversation left me in no doubt as to the real character of Rasputin.
As I had always suspected, he was a misguided mystic who possessed a
kind of psychic power, an unbalanced creature who worked alternately
through his carnal desires and his mystic visions, a being quite capable
of having weeks of religious ecstasy after nights of infamy. But before
this interview I had never realised the importance that was attached to
Rasputin’s influence on politics, not merely in Russian circles, but
even in the embassies and legations of Petrograd. That influence was
greatly exaggerated, but the mere fact that it could exist was a kind of
challenge to public opinion. The presence of this man at Court was also
a subject of mystery and abhorrence to all who knew the debauchery of
his private life. I fully realised that all this involved the greatest
danger to the prestige of Their Majesties and furnished a weapon which
their enemies would sooner or later try to use against them.
The mischief could only have been remedied by sending Rasputin away; but
where was the power strong enough to bring about his disgrace? I knew
the deep, underlying causes of his hold over the Czarina too well not to
fear the restoration of his influence if circumstances took a turn
favourable to him.
The first six months of the war had not brought the results hoped for,
and everything pointed to a long and bitter struggle. Unexpected
complications might arise, for the prolongation of the war might well
bring very serious economic difficulties which could foster general
discontent and provoke actual disorder. The Czar and Czarina were much
concerned at this aspect of the matter. It made them very anxious.
As ever in moments of trouble and uncertainty, it was from religion and
the affection of their children that they drew the comfort they needed.
With their usual natural simplicity and good humour the Grand-Duchesses
had accepted the increasing austerity of life at Court. It is true that
their own lives, so utterly destitute of the elements which young girls
find most agreeable, had prepared them for the change. When war broke
out in 1914, Olga Nicolaïevna was nineteen and Tatiana Nicolaïevna had
just had her seventeenth birthday. They had never been to a ball. The
only parties at which they had appeared were one or two given by their
aunt, the Grand-Duchess Olga Alexandrovna. After hostilities one
thought, and one thought alone, inspired them--to relieve the cares and
anxieties of their parents by surrounding them with a love which
revealed itself in the most touching and delicate attentions.
If only the world had known what an example the Imperial family were
setting with their tender and intimate association! But how few ever
suspected it! For it was too indifferent to public opinion and avoided
the public gaze.