The German dominating classes are
saturated with a sufficiently strong instinct of self-preservation to
understand that concessions in such an exigency as they were in, under
the pressure of the masses of their own people--concessions however
small--would amount to capitulation before the idea of the revolution.
That is why, after the first moment of perplexity and panic, the time
when Kuehlmann deliberately dragged out the negotiations by minor and
formal questions, had passed--as soon as the strikes were disposed of,
as soon as he came to the conclusion that for the time being no imminent
danger threatened his masters, he again changed front and adopted a tone
of unlimited self-confidence and aggression.
Our negotiations were complicated by the participation of the Kiev Rada.
We called attention to this last time, too. The delegation from the Kiev
Rada appeared at a time when the Rada represented a fairly strong
organization in the Ukraine and when the way out of the war had not yet
been predetermined. Just at that time, we made the Rada an official
offer to conclude a definite treaty with us, making as one of the
conditions of such a treaty the following demand: that the Rada declare
Kaledin and Korniloff to be counter-revolutionists and put no hindrance
in the way of our waging war on these two leaders. The delegation from
the Kiev Rada arrived, just when we hoped to reach an understanding with
it on these matters.
Pages:
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138