UNIIT 7.1

It is my firm conviction, based on long and careful study of the multitude of subversive tendencies and movements that we are presently facing, that there must inevitably break out in the defeated country a social revolution that, by the very nature of these things, will inevitably spread to the country of the victor. In our country today, there are countless agitators telling the peasant that he should demand a gratuitous share of somebody else's land or the worker that he should be getting hold of the entire capital and profits of the manufacturer. War with Germany will create exceptionally favorable conditions for such agitations." Pyotr Durnovo, Russian Minister of the Interior, memorandum to Tsar Nicholas II, February 1914

The memorandum is best explained in the context of which of the following developments in the early twentieth century?

• The decline of the Western-dominated global order

• The emergence of external and internal challenges that threatened the stability of imperial states

• The emergence of new nation-states based on the principle of ethnic self-determination

• The use of government propaganda to mobilize national populations for conflict with rival states

"Are we prepared for so stubborn a fight as a future war involving the great powers of Europe will undoubtedly become? The answer, we must say without evasion, is no. In addition to the military considerations, there is also the political angle. It should not be forgotten that Russia and Germany are representatives of the conservative principle in the civilized world, as opposed to the democratic principle represented by England and France. From this point of view, a war between Russia and Germany, regardless of the specific issues over which it is fought, is profoundly undesirable to both sides. Such a conflict, however it ends, would entail the weakening of the conservative principle of which the two powers are the only reliable bulwarks. Moreover, one must realize that, under the precarious conditions that now exist, a general European war is mortally dangerous to both Russia and Germany, no matter who wins. It is my firm conviction, based on long and careful study of the multitude of subversive tendencies and movements that we are presently facing, that there must inevitably break out in the defeated country a social revolution that, by the very nature of these things, will inevitably spread to the country of the victor. In our country today, there are countless agitators telling the peasant that he should demand a gratuitous share of somebody else's land, or the worker that he should be getting hold of the entire capital and profits of the manufacturer. War with Germany will create exceptionally favorable conditions for such agitations." Pyotr Durnovo, Russian Minister of the Interior, memorandum to Tsar Nicholas II, February 1914

Durnovo's argument in the second paragraph regarding the effect of war between Germany and Russia on the two countries would prove to be

• inaccurate in its prediction that war between Germany and Russia would lead to "social revolution"

• accurate in its prediction that both Germany and Russia would succumb to revolution regardless of which side won the war

• inaccurate in its prediction that revolution would break out first in the defeated country

• accurate in its prediction that a war with Germany would create the circumstances for a revolution in Russia

"Are we prepared for so stubborn a fight as a future war involving the great powers of Europe will undoubtedly become? The answer, we must say without evasion, is no. In addition to the military considerations, there is also the political angle. It should not be forgotten that Russia and Germany are representatives of the conservative principle in the civilized world, as opposed to the democratic principle represented by England and France. From this point of view, a war between Russia and Germany, regardless of the specific issues over which it is fought, is profoundly undesirable to both sides. Such a conflict, however it ends, would entail the weakening of the conservative principle of which the two powers are the only reliable bulwarks. Moreover, one must realize that, under the precarious conditions that now exist, a general European war is mortally dangerous to both Russia and Germany, no matter who wins. It is my firm conviction, based on long and careful study of the multitude of subversive tendencies and movements that we are presently facing, that there must inevitably break out in the defeated country a social revolution that, by the very nature of these things, will inevitably spread to the country of the victor. In our country today, there are countless agitators telling the peasant that he should demand a gratuitous share of somebody else's land, or the worker that he should be getting hold of the entire capital and profits of the manufacturer. War with Germany will create exceptionally favorable conditions for such agitations." Pyotr Durnovo, Russian Minister of the Interior, memorandum to Tsar Nicholas II, February 1914

Which development during the first decade of the twentieth century can best be explained in the context of the "weakening of the conservative principle" mentioned in the first paragraph of the passage?

• The collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as socialists in the Balkans led revolutions that greatly weakened the Habsburg monarchy

• The Mexican Revolution, as middle classes and peasants united to oust longtime dictator Porfirio Diaz and establish a more equitable society

• The Boer War, in which Dutch-speaking white settlers inflicted several military defeats on British colonial armies in southern Africa

• he formation of the Triple Entente alliance, in which Great Britain, France, and Russia pledged to work together to check the rise of Germany

Identify ONE new state that emerged in Europe in the period before 1939

• Hungary

• Czechoslovakia

• Austria

• Poland

Explain ONE development in Europe that led to the creation of new states in the period 1914-1939.

• World War I

• Nationalism

• League of Nations Mandates

• Europe

Explain ONE way in which the circumstances that led to the creation of new states in Europe in the period 1914-1939 contributed to conflict in Europe in the period 1939-1945.

At what conference did the Europeans divide up Africa for their colonization?

• 1886 Egypt Conference

• 1914 London Conference

• 1882 Belgium Conference

• 1884 Berlin Conference