Chapter 659 Boomerang
The people in the provisional government were indeed inexperienced. They were eager to seize power and made an unforgivable mistake.
George has not yet electrified himself to pledge allegiance to the provisional government. If he is eager to seize power, isn't he afraid of forcing George to rebel?
George is not a loser like little Nicholas.
Little Nicholas has no confidants in the Caucasus. He comes and leaves alone, and is desolate.
George poured water on the operation of the Balkan war zone, and Amur was even more monolithic. This was the home of Grand Duke Yuriev, not St. Petersburg where flies and dogs were infested.
Peter failed to continue to Vladivostok and was temporarily detained in Irkutsk.
George couldn't care less about Peter, and with the arrival of spring, the war continued.
On January 31 this year, Germany decided to resume unrestricted submarine warfare.
After the outbreak of the World War, Germany dispatched submarines to attack British ships in order to weaken Britain's maritime superiority, which seriously affected the safety of the Northern Sea Route.
In May 1915, the British merchant ship "Lusitania" was sunk by a German submarine, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans.
On August 19, the "Arab" was sunk, and another American died.
Under pressure from the United States, Germany ceased unrestricted submarine warfare in September 1915.
After the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme, unrestricted submarine warfare was once again put on the agenda.
The new German Prime Minister Bateman opposes unrestricted submarine warfare and believes that unrestricted submarine warfare will lead to the United States entering the war.
Chief of the Naval Staff Henry Holzendorf assured Wilhelm II: As an officer, I want to tell His Majesty that no American will land in Europe.
The effect of unrestricted submarine warfare is indeed good. In January, without attacking American merchant ships, the total tonnage of British merchant ships sunk by German submarines was only 300,000 tons.
In February, this number doubled to 590,000 tons, and by March it soared to 880,000 tons.
The United States reacted extremely strongly. On the fourth day after the German army resumed unrestricted submarine warfare, it proactively severed diplomatic relations with Germany.
On April 2, the American merchant ship "Liberty" was sunk. News reached Washington. On April 6, the United States declared war on Germany.
Another reason why the United States entered the war was the "Zimmerman Telegram" incident.
After the outbreak of the World War, the British Navy immediately cut off Germany's Atlantic undersea communication cables.
Subsequently, communication between Germany and the United States could only be carried out through submarine cables between Sweden and the United States.
As mentioned earlier, the United Kingdom began monitoring submarine cables a long time ago and deciphered the German naval communication codes. This is why during the "Jutland" naval battle, every move of the German army was controlled by the United Kingdom. reason.
Speaking of knowing the German battle plan in advance, the British still achieved this result. The Royal Navy was somewhat arrogant.
On January 16, Wilhelm II's Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann sent a telegram to the German Ambassador to Mexico Heinrich von Urcadet, stating that if the United States entered the war, Germany would unite with Mexico. Attack the United States.
The content of this telegram was so important that in order to ensure the communication effect, Zimmerman sent the telegram through cables in the United States and Sweden.
So this telegram attracted strong attention from the UK.
On March 1, the contents of the "Zimmerman Telegram" were made public, and the United States began to mobilize.
The United States' participation in the war did not immediately bring substantial help, because it would take at least 18 months for the US military to reach Europe.
This situation was strongly opposed by Britain, France and Russia.
After Nicholas abdicated, the Provisional Government decided to continue participating in the World War. It is the Provisional Government that now represents Russia.
France and Russia have good reasons for objecting, as mobilization simply does not take that long.
The United Kingdom also opposed it, which really surprised the Americans.
Because the training cycle of the British army is also 18 months.
The most critical issue is that since the U.S. government was not ready to participate in the war, the soldiers mobilized by the United States must be trained in the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom will provide all the materials needed for training.
Including weapons and ammunition.
The news spread to Europe, and everyone once again saw the shamelessness of the Americans.
Before the outbreak of the world war, the United States was a debtor country.
By last year, the United States not only paid off its foreign debt, but also became a creditor nation.
Nearly half of the strategic materials needed by Britain and France come from the United States.
So what the Americans mean is that Britain should pay for weapons from American companies to equip US troops to fight to save the European continent.
This is really eye-opening.
George has no expectations for the Americans. The so-called "saving the European continent" is an excuse for the British to deceive the United States.
In order to squeeze out the last copper, the Americans followed the trend.
So even if you listen to words like "don't squeeze out the last copper penny", the real description should be to knock the bones and suck out the marrow, and squeeze out the oil from the bones.
After Ruzsky returned to the Northern Front, he actively prepared for war according to St. Petersburg's instructions and prepared to start a new round of offensive.
This is one of the conditions for Britain and France to recognize the provisional government.
Russia's return to the world war came at such a huge cost that the Provisional Government had enough reasons to inherit the legacy of the Russian Empire.
Britain and France do not recognize it. If you want to inherit the empire's legacy, you must first prove your strength.
Alexeyev had no choice but to drag his sick body to continue working.
Ruzsky reminded Kerensky that the Russian army no longer has the ability to attack.
In order to strengthen the Russian army's will to fight, Kerensky decided to reinstate the death penalty.
The first boomerang of the Provisional Government appeared.
When Yanushkevich was the Chief of General Staff, it was Kerensky and his gang who were talking about the death penalty being inhumane and should be abolished, giving soldiers better treatment, etc., etc., etc., forcing Yanush Kevitch abolished the death penalty.
Now that the Provisional Government is in power, but it wants to reinstate the death penalty, will the Provisional Government follow the example of the Tsar and continue to exploit the Russians?
This is just the beginning.
After Nicholas abdicated, the empire fell into chaos, and railway transportation from various places to St. Petersburg came to a standstill.
This time St. Petersburg really ran out of food.
The interim government panicked and sent people to various places to purchase grain, triggering strong opposition from farmers.
No matter how cruel the Tsar was back then, he never forcibly requisitioned food.
Farmers are still naive.
At least the provisional government will be compensated for the grain expropriation.
At its peak in February in St. Petersburg, more than 700,000 workers took part in walks. Industrial production came to a complete standstill, but the demand on the front line did not stop.
So the second boomerang soon appeared.
After the provisional government was established, workers were required to return to the factory as soon as possible to continue production.
The workers were very dissatisfied. They overthrew the Tsar in order to be the master of the house. Whose master did the work himself?
It’s just work, it’s not unacceptable.
When Nicholas was in power, people like Kerensky were still talking about it every day. The wages of workers were too low, not enough to support their families, and the benefits for workers were not enough. After a hard day's work, they could not even drink vodka. If you can’t drink it, is this still a Russian baby daddy?
After the provisional government came to power, the finances were exhausted. Witte was on the verge of tears. There was not a penny on his books. He had to repay the interest on British and French loans every month, and he could no longer afford to pay his salary.
After the interim government came to power, some people did get a salary increase, such as the ministers of the interim government.
During the Nicholas administration, the salary of ministers was about 20,000 rubles per year.
The salary of the interim minister is 50,000 rubles per year.
This does not include benefits.
During the abolition of the death penalty, a large number of soldiers fled, and new reinforcements were needed if the offensive was to resume.
So the soldiers who played a huge role in the establishment of the provisional government were sent to the front line in batches.
The soldiers opposed the Tsar in order not to die at the front.
At least you could escape if you didn't want to eat the imperial food, and you wouldn't be sentenced to death.
It's better now that the death penalty has been reinstated and the back roads are blocked. There are only two roads in front of the soldiers, either to the front line or to the execution ground.
Everyone knows how badly the Russian troops fought on the northern front. After the Kerenskys' tireless propaganda in the past two years, everyone knows.
There is really no difference between going to the front line and going to the execution ground.
The difference is that if you die on the front line, you will at least get a pension——
Wait a minute, with the way the interim government is now, it’s up to you whether you will get a pension or not.
Kensky's eloquence was indeed remarkable. He personally came to the base camp to hold a meeting and reasoned with Alexeyev and Ruzsky.
"In the past, Russians fought for the Tsar. They sacrificed their lives to maintain the corrupt rule of the Tsar, and the empire gave them little in return. Now Russians fight for themselves. If we win the final victory, we will become a nation. As long as the master can realize this, the soldiers will surely burst out with unparalleled enthusiasm and completely defeat the Germans on the opposite side!"
Alekseyev and Ruzisky looked at each other.
Was Kerensky right?
Yes!
But I always feel like something is wrong.
Alexeyev and Ruzsky were soldiers, and their eloquence was incomparable to Kerensky, the prosecutor general who was a lawyer.
Alexeyev and Ruzsky are not stupid. They know that what Kerensky said is wrong, but what is wrong, Alexeyev and Ruzsky cannot tell. .
“You have to understand that if our attack fails this time, it will have extremely serious consequences——”
Alekseyev still hopes that Kerensky will be cautious.
“I know, I completely understand, so not only do we have to do our best, we also need the assistance of Grand Duke Yuriev!”
Kerensky had already prepared an escape route for himself.
If we can win, that will be great. The credit goes to Kerensky. Not only will he be able to explain things internally, he will also be able to show off his power to his allies.
If we fail to win, it will definitely be the responsibility of frontline commanders such as Alexeyev, Ruzsky, and George.
The senior officers commanding operations on the front line are basically appointed by Nicholas. The army has its own system, and the provisional government cannot reach in for the time being.
If the offensive fails, the provisional government can legitimately reform the military system, control the army, and then completely control Russia.
(End of this chapter)