BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 50, 23 November 1918, Page 3

BOOKS OF THE DAY

"Pioneers of the Russian Revolution." l)r. Angelo S. liappopoit, the author of"Pioneers of tho Russian Devolution" (Stanley l'nul and Co.), is a recognised authority on llus.siim politics, upon which subject ho Ims been, during the war period in particular, a frequent contributor to E.iglish, French, and American newspapers and niagazines. Dr. Eappoport's latest book ik a serious, and if not exhaustive, •ii richly documented and valuable guide to tlie influences and forces which worked during a good halfcentury and more to bring about that tremendous and epoch-making political upheaval which we know as the Russian revolution. The author investigates the basic causes of the revolutionary spirit, and gives his readers n far more complete and lucid summary of Russian history than we have l-atl hitherto. Dr. Rappoport makes an interesting comparison between the French Revolution and that which has so completely changed the Russian outlook. His account of tha,t earlier revolution, which Riissinns call "tho revolution of the Decembrists"—in DoceinKr, 1825—is dramatic and most fascinating. The death of the Tsar Alexander had been the signal for nil liberal Russians to build high hopes for a future of greater freedorti. There was a brief but heroic struggle, but autocracy triumphed, and the new • Tsar, Nicholas the First, set to work, as the author puts it, "to crush the spirit of liberalism, and became the Don Quixote of Absolutism, not only iii Russia, but in Europe." Dr.. Rappoport does Nicholas the credit of having made, at least, fiomo attempt to reform the utterly corrupt bureaucracy, but, fays the author, "lie soon convinced himself it was waste labour. Teardom relied upon bureaucracy, therefore it became the representative of autocracy, its instrument of oppression, and was consequently despised and hated by the nation."

How autocracy, through bureaucracy, held Russia in a political thraldom almost inconceivable to the Western European mind during the whole of the nineteenth century, hut how, 'underneath tho surface, the liberal ideas were constantly at work; who and of what character were the courageous spirits who espoused the popular cause and challenged, as openly as they dared, the tyranny which held the people as in a vice, are eet down in successive chapters, which contain many interesting character sketches. The alternating periods of ppocpfiil propaganda and semi-insane , Nihilism and other manifestations of the extreme revolutionary spirit are described, tho concluding chaptors being devoted to the part played in the fight for Russian freedom by the ,Tews. The author devotes two special chapters to an account of the ( disHnguished litterateurs, philosophers, and sociologists who were ( associated in tho last, century with the democratic movement in Russia. Many of these men exhibited the most-heroic eelf-sacrifice in championing the popular, cause, and their names and their splendid devotion to the principles of liberty deserve to be better known outside Russia than they are. On ■ tho Jewish question, Dr. Rappoport is specially interesting. He himself is,-1 should say, a son of Israel, and his claim that it is very largely, if not wholly, due to Jewish effort that 'Russia was successful in abolishing the Romanoff autocracy is supported 'by testimony which is, seemingly at least, conclusive. Tho author describes himself as "neither a Collectivist nor a Socialist, although he approves of many of the principles of tho socialistic doctrine." He i 9 an Internationalist rather than a Nationalist, and in his final chapter, "Israel's Cry for Justice,", makes it clear that.he is not in sympathy with the Zionist movement for the establishment of a purely Jewish State in Palestine. Dr. Rappoport's book will be, I trust, succeeded by a volume fronrthe samo pen in which the history of the , Russian revolutionary movement will be carried on to tho present day. It would be interesting to see.what so intelligent and evidently honest an observer and student of Russian politics, has to say on recent events in that country, in which, so the pioneers of the Russian revolution' s.o fondly, but,' alas, as we have seen, so mistakenly hoped, tyranny and corruption would disappear for ever with the downfall of the Romanoff autocracy. To a nuin of Dr. Rappopwt's type, the maniacal excesses <f the Bolsheviks must be intensely abhorrent and have come as a woeful disappointment. The ibook contains a series cf interesting portraits of Russian rulers and political and revohmlionary celebrities. (Price, 7s. Cd.) , - , -