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tempt to help Roumania by attacking the Germans farther north, but in the end Von Mackensen swept on and forced the crossing of the Danube southwest of Bucharest, the capital of Roumania. Bucharest was now threatened from northwest, west and south. In December the Roumanians abandoned their capital and the victorious Germans entered.

The Russians screened the retreating Roumanians, but even with this aid they were outmaneuvered, outnumbered and outfought. They saw the hopelessness of trying to make another stand and preferred to save their armies from capture. So they retreated to the Russian frontier.

PROPOSAL

This was the crowning victory of the German campaign. They had secured the oil wells and wheat GERMAN PEACE fields of Roumania and had opened up several roads to Constantinople, one by water by way of the Danube and the Black Sea. An offer of general peace terms to the Allies was then made by the Central Powers. They offered their peace terms in the tone of a victorious conqueror. They said Germany had been forced into the war. In fact, the Kaiser says this on all occasions thinking perhaps the world, or at least the German people, will come to believe it.

In the offer of peace the Central Powers offered to restore Belgium and evacuate the territory captured in northern France during the war. They wanted to establish an independent kingdom of Poland and Lithuania in Russia. But they wanted to keep Serbia though they promised to divide some of its territory with Bulgaria. They also demanded that Italy should give back the territory she had conquered. Germany further demanded that her colonies be restored to

her while Constantinople should be retained by Turkey.

The Allies ignored this offer of peace from Germany, for they believed that she was willing to stop fighting only because she had got all that she was fighting for. She was demanding full control of the Balkans and had fairly at her command the Middle Europe Empire of her dreams, which was to reach from the Baltic Sea to the Persian Gulf, and this was her real reason for wanting peace.

ALLIED

During this year of the war the Allies failed to strike together and thus the Central Powers using their strategic railways, shifted their reFAILURE serves back and forth to great advantage. The Allies needed a few lessons in "team work." The problem of providing mountains of shells on all fronts was a stupendous one and to provide them so all could strike at once was impossible.

Supplies to Russia could reach her only by the long Trans-Siberian railway or by way of Archangel on the White Sea. This port, however, is frozen over and useless a large part of the year. But now Russia has a new harbor, Alexandrovsk, on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. This port, though farther north than Archangel, is free from ice the year round on account of the warm Gulf stream. To this port Russia has now completed a railway. With American railroad engineers sent to help, Russia has begun to solve her transportation problems.

CHAPTER XIV

THE CZAR LOSES HIS THRONE

What is perhaps the most important event of modern times occurred on March 9, 1917. It was a revolution in Russia which resulted in the overthrow of the Czar. His downfall was accomplished with such dramatic suddenness that it dazed the world. The Czar had allowed the Russian government to fall into the hands of men who were in sympathy with Germany and traitors to the best interests of the nation. These pro-German officials did everything they could in the Russian campaign to aid Germany. They even attempted to make peace between Germany and Russia in 1916, but the Russian Duma, or Congress, would not consent. They succeeded, however, in paralyzing the army as far as fighting was concerned.

Artillery was sent from France to the Roumanians in the fall of 1916, but through the influence of these German sympathizers it was lost in the Ural mountains. Ammunition sent for these guns by way of Archangel was held until it was destroyed by German agents at that port. The defeat of Roumania was due in great part to the lack of support from Russia. As long as German influence was so strong in Russia there was no hope for the Russian army. The Allies were greatly discouraged at the condition at the Russian capital of Petrograd.

At last the whole Russian nation, seeing the Czar dominated by the enemy, came to realize that it was THE CZAR time for the people to assert their rights, ABDICATES and sooner than could be believed, the powerful citadel of Czarism fell like a castle built upon the sands. Within five days the people of the Empire awoke and seized the government. Regiment by regiment the troops of Petrograd and Moscow, with their commanders, went over to the people. Even the Czar's bodyguard of Cossacks quickly deserted him. The men who had held the nation in their hands were cast off, a few disloyal officials were hanged, and the Russian congress, or Duma, took charge of the situation. A document was written to which the Czar was to be forced to affix his signature and abdicate the throne of Russia. With this document they proceeded to a station where they might halt the train on which the Czar was riding to Petrograd. The Czar, deserted by his army, was helpless. He signed away his throne for himself and his son. The family of Romanoff which had ruled Russia for three hundred years with a mailed fist and bloody saber was now dethroned. Perhaps no ruler in history will be held responsible for so much oppression, bloodshed and tyranny as this Nicholas Romanoff, Czar of Russia.

The pro-German element had gotten control of the government largely through the influence of the Czarina who was a German princess. She had strongly opposed the war and her will was strong with her royal husband. But now the portraits of the Czar and his family were burned by the people and the Romanoff insignia were torn from the walls of the government buildings. The winter palace of the

Czar was taken over by the government and occupied by the Russian Duma.

The United States lost no time in recognizing the new Russian republic. We soon sent some of our best statesmen and engineers to aid in building up the new state. The task before the new government of Russia was enormous. It was a gigantic problem to change the whole governmental plan, and to do this while the country was at war was stupendous. The railroads of Russia are miserably insufficient and there are no good roads. This makes the problem of feeding the cities and the armies very difficult. The Russian masses are uneducated and do not understand very well what liberty and self-government mean. For a time they refused to be bound by ordinary laws after being ruled for so long by terror and an iron hand.

For many months Russia was unable to do much fighting. The new government exerted every effort to supply its army and equip the millions of soldiers that were still available. Meantime, Germany tried in every way to make peace with the nation, but the Russian republic stood firm and ready to aid in the last blow to kings that rule without the consent of their people.

The throwing off by Russia of the autocratic Czar and his bands of military lords changed the whole DEMOCRACY vs. character of the war. It has now AUTOCRACY become without doubt a war of democracy against autocracy. That is, a war to establish the rule of the people against the tyranny of kings. The Central Powers of Germany, Austria and Turkey are about the only nations left in the world who support the divine right of kings. Fighting for democracy are England, France, Belgium,

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