Friedrich Engels
The aspect of affairs in Russia.

To the Editor of the "Pall Mall Gazette"

The Pall Mall Gazette.
Nr. 1900, 16. März 1871

The aspect of affairs in Russia
To the Editor of the Pall Mall Gazette.

Sir,—The English Government declare that they know nothing of an
alliance between Russia and Prussia. In Germany nobody disputes the
5 existence of such an alliance; on the contrary, the pro-Prussian press
exults in the fact, the anti-Prussian papers are indignant at it. One of the
latter, the Volksstaat, thinks that Mr. Gladstone merely intended to insinuate by his dénégations that this was not a treaty of alliance, but
rather of vassalage, and that in this case he would be in the right.

10 Indeed, the telegrams exchanged between Versailles and St. Petersburg,
between "Yours till death, William," and his more reserved nephew
Alexander, leave no longer any room for doubt as to the relations existing between what are now the two great military monarchies of the
Continent. These telegrams, by the way, were first published in the Jour-

15 nal de St. Pétersbourg; and what is quite as significant is the fact that
they have not been reprinted in their full tenor in the German press, the
Emperor William's assurance of devotion till death being especially suppressed. At all events, the full context of the correspondence cannot
leave a doubt that the Emperor William means to express the deep sense

20 of the obligation under which he considers himself to be towards Russia, and his readiness to place his services in return at Russia's disposal.
The Emperor being past seventy, and his presumptive heir's sentiments
being doubtful, there is certainly a strong incentive for Russia to strike
the iron while it is hot.

25 Moreover, the internal situation in Russia is far from satisfactory. The
finances are almost helplessly deranged; the peculiar form in which the
emancipation of the serfs and the other social and political changes connected with it have been carried out has disturbed agricultural produc-

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Friedrich Engels

tion to an almost incredible degree. The half-measures of a liberal character which in turn have been accorded, retracted, and again accorded,
have given to the educated classes just elbow-room enough to develop a
distinct public opinion; and that public opinion is upon all points opposed to the foreign policy the present Government have hitherto ap- 5
peared to follow. Public opinion in Russia is essentially and violently
Panslavist—that is to say, antagonistic to the three great "oppressors" of
the Slavonic race: the Germans, the Hungarians, and the Turks. A Prussian alliance is as distasteful to it as would be an Austrian or a Turkish
alliance. It demands, besides, immediate warlike action, in a Panslavist 10
sense. The quiet, slow, but eminently safe underground action of Russian
traditional diplomacy sorely tries its patience. Such successes as were
obtained at the Conference, important though they be in themselves, are
as nought to the Russian Panslavists. They hear nothing but the "cry of
anguish" of their oppressed brethren in race; they feel nothing more 15
intensely than the necessity of restoring the lost supremacy of holy Russia by a grand coup, a war of conquest. They know, moreover, that the
Heir Presumptive is one of them. All this considered, and the grand
strategic railway lines towards the south and south-west having now been
completed far enough to serve efficiently for purposes of attack against 20
Austria or Turkey, or both, is there not a strong inducement for the
Russian Government and for the Emperor Alexander personally to apply
the old Bonapartist means, and to stave off internal difficulties by a
foreign war while the Prussian alliance appears still safe?

Under such circumstances the new Russian loan of twelve millions 25
sterling obtains a very peculiar significance. It is true, a patriotic protest
has been circulated at the Stock Exchange-it is stated to have been
without signatures, and appears to have remained so—and we are told
that the amount of the loan has been more than covered. What purposes,
among others, these twelve millions are to be used for we are informed by 30
the Ostsee Zeitung, of Stettin, a paper which for many years not only has
had the very best information about Russian affairs, but which also has
had the independence to publish it. The Franco-German war, says the
Petersburg correspondent of this paper (under date of March 4, new
style), has convinced the Russian military authorities of the total ineffi- 35
ciency of the system of fortification hitherto followed in the construction
of the Russian fortresses, and the Ministry of War has already settled the
plan for the necessary alterations. "It is reported that the new system,
based upon the introduction of detached forts, is to be applied, in the
first instance, to the more important frontier fortresses, the reconstruc- 40
tion of which is to be commenced forthwith. The first fortresses which

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The aspect of affairs in Russia

are to be provided with detached forts are Brest-Litowski, Demblin, and
Modlin."

Now, Brest-Litowski, Demblin (or Iwangorod), and Modlin (or No-

wo-Georgiewsk, by its official Russian name), are exactly the three for-

5 tresses which, with Warsaw as a central point, command the greater portion of the kingdom of Poland; and Warsaw does not receive any
detached forts now, for the very good reason that it has had them for
many a year past. Russia, then, loses no time in fastening her hold upon
Poland, and in strengthening her base of operations against Austria, and

10 the hurry with which this is done is of no good augury for the peace of
Europe.

All this may still be called purely defensive armament. But the correspondent in question has not done yet:—"The warlike preparations in
Russia, which were commenced at the outbreak of the Franco-German

15 war, are continued with unabated zeal. Lately the Ministry of War has
ordered the formation of the fourth battalions. The execution of this
order has already begun with all regiments, those in the kingdom of
Poland included. The detachments set apart for the railway and telegraph
service in the field, as well as the sanitary companies, have already been

20 organized. The men are actively instructed and drilled in their various
duties, and the sanitary companies are even taught how to apply the first
bandages to wounded, how to stop bleeding, and how to bring round
men who have fainted."

Now in almost every great continental army the regiments of infantry

25 consist, on the peace footing, of three battalions, and the first unmistakable step from the peace-footing to the war-footing is the formation of
the fourth battalions. On the day Louis Napoleon declared war, he also
ordered the formation of the fourth battalions. In Prussia, their formation is the very first thing done after the receipt of the order for mobi-

30 lization. In Austria it is the same, and so it is in Russia. Whatever may be
thought of the suddenly revealed necessity of detached forts for the Polish fortresses, or of the equally sudden empressement to introduce into
the Russian service the Prussian Krankenträger and railway and telegraph detachments (in a country where both railways and telegraphs are

35 rather scarce)—here, in the formation of the fourth battalions, we have
an unmistakable sign that Russia has actually passed the line which divides the peace footing from the war footing. Nobody can imagine that
Russia has taken this step without a purpose; and if this step means
anything, it means attack against somebody. Perhaps that explains what

40 the twelve millions sterling are wanted for.— Yours, &c,

E.