hip mutinied, seized the
boat and bombarded the city, killing more than a thousand of its
inhabitants. Strikes broke out in different parts of the country.
Troops murdered their officers and went over to the cause of the
people. Nevertheless the Government finally triumphed, partly by
diplomatically granting--temporarily only, of course--some of the
demands of the masses, but chiefly by force and unrelenting
severity. The latter policy brought about the fall of one of the
most able statesmen that Russia had ever produced, Count Witte, who
was then Prime Minister and to whose diplomacy and ability Russia
owed primarily its easy bargain with Japan after the latter
country's victory.

The next year, 1906, however, brought some relief to the sorely
oppressed people. The peasants were enabled to acquire the land
which heretofore they had tilled almost like slaves for the benefit
of the great landowners belonging to the aristocratic and patrician
classes. All were made equal before the law, oppressive taxes and
restrictions concerning the choice of residence on the part of
peasants were removed and certain electoral reforms were
promulgated. The latter, however, were of short duration, for in
1907, when things had quieted down a bit they were either recalled
or nullified by technical interpretations which thoroughly defeated
their original purposes.

During this entire period the persecution of Jews was kept up. In
spite of this, however, Russia took prompt steps to stop similar
persecutions of Armenians on the part of Turks, one of the few
undertakings of the Russian Government of that time which deserves
the approval of mankind.

In August of the same year, 1907, Russia also arrived at an
understanding with England concerning the respective spheres of
influence of these two countries in Asia, an important step toward
the completion of the "Triple Entente" of Russia, England, and
France.

The year 1908 was noticeable only for the enaction of further
reactionary measures. The next year, 1909, saw Russia's
participation in the successful effort of the European powers to
adjust pacifically the various questions that had arisen from
Bulgaria's proclamation as a kingdom and Austria-Hungary's
annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the same year, 1909, the
Russian advance for the possession of Persia began--without
opposition on the part of England by that time--and an understanding
was reached between the czar's and the Chin