THE WORLD AT THE CROSS ROADS leaders
of the
They
professors.
could
Revolution were
an
entertain
and hours on academic
hours
for
Russian
good
audience
topics,
but
they displayed profound ignorance of the pracmethods of statesmanship. Some of them, historians who knew were like Milukov,
tical
thoroughly world chronology, but what they did not know was the spirit of their own national history.
In their analysis of Russian historical
events they were always inclined to blame somebody for an alleged erroneous policy, and they
went
so far as to consider the
whole history of
Russia a grave historical error. Some of them were excellent lawyers, but they used their
knowledge of law mainly with a view to breaking it and discrediting the very conception of the Russian legal structure. The majority of them were very entertaining and tireless causeurs, witty critics of the old regime, but in their wit there was In political babbling they saw an aim while itself, they overlooked the fact that oratorical hysteria is decidedly one of the most
no wisdom. in
repulsive as
such.
features
Above
of the parliamentary regime all, they manifested a lack
of courage and none of them succeeded in becoming a Danton or even a Mirabeau of the Russian
Revolution.
They were 86
excellent
revolutionary