24 May 1917. George Buchanan

Non-fiction

Project 1917 is a series of events that took place a hundred years ago as described by those involved. It is composed only of diaries, letters, memoirs, newspapers and other documents

George Buchanan

4, Dvortsovaya embankment, Petrograd, Russian Empire (British Embassy)

I received a telegram from Lord Robert Cecil, who was then in charge of the Foreign Ofl&ce, informing me that the War Cabinet were impressed with the necessity of creating a more favour- able attitude among Russian Socialists and workmen towards the war, and of rectifying the false impressions that were being circulated in Russia about our aims. Feeling that this could be done with better chance of success by a Labour leader than by anyone else, they had decided to send out Mr. Henderson on a special mission.

After kindly expressing warm appreciation of my work. Lord Robert went on to say that they felt sure that Mr. Henderson could count on my cordial co-operation, and suggested that, if I saw no objection, it might be well were I, a few weeks after Mr. Henderson's arrival, to come to London to give the Government the benefit of my personal advice.

While I quite appreciated the reasons that had prompted the War Cabinet to send out Mr. Hender- son, I failed to understand why they were so anxious that I should come home. "If," as I afterwards wrote to Lord Hardinge, "it was because they were afraid that, were I to remain, Mr. Henderson would not have a free hand to deal with the situation, and that I might not work in line with him, I can only say that such lack of confidence greatly distresses me. When Lord Milner came out to the conference last winter, I was only too ready to efface myself, and it was a real pleasure for me to work under him. I should have been glad to do the same again and to serve under Henderson, who is a Cabinet Minister. His mission will be one of extraordinary difficulty, and, as I understand the Russians better than most people, I might have been able to help him in many ways."

As, however, there was no question of my remaining on, I was determined, at any rate, to have my own position cleared up. I accordingly sent the following reply to Lord Robert's telegram:

"Please assure Mr. Henderson that he can count on my most cordial co-operation and support. As regards question of my going on leave, I am entirely at your orders. I should like to know the approximate date at which you would wish me to start on leave, and whether I am to consider that leave as my definite recall."

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Lyubov Mendeleeva-Blok Alexander Blok

Pskov, Russian Empire

Today is Ascension, and I got up early at 7 o' clock and went to Detinets; there are birch trees and lilacs there, green grass, on the remains of the wall, far under the legs of Great Pskov, from all sides the white Church and the blue sky merged, and all was well with me. I only desperately wished that you were there and saw it.

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Vladimir Lenin

Petrograd, Russian Empire

Now that “socialists” have become members of the cabinet, things will be different, the defencists have been assuring us. It did not take more than a few days to reveal the falsity of these assurances.

What does Mr. Tereshchenko, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, the associate of Skobelev and Tsereteli, have to say on this question? See more

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Nikolai Bukharin

Moscow, Russian Empire

How can we find a way out of the current situation? In the first place, we must put an end to the slaughter, and return the factory benches and fields to those who toil in the cities and the countryside. Then we must rebuild Russia’s finances and treasury. And this can only be done by refusing to pay the loans incurred by the old government. This will anger the bankers of the Allied Nations deeply, but the Russian people is not obliged to render service to bankers - either Russian or foreign. See more

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Sergey Prokofiev

Apartment house, 122, Fontanka embankment, Petrograd, Russian Empire

Now, everyone is so busy with the revolution that, rightly, no one is going to new operas.

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Alexander Kerensky

Finland

I travelled to Helsingfors and Sveaborg. Not far from these two ports, our “large” navy (of dreadnoughts, frigates and cruisers) stood anchored in the Gulf of Finland. I spent two days there, attending many meetings, both public and behind closed doors. At the public meetings I was often openly attacked by Bolsheviks; during the private meetings I was given to hear very harsh criticism from a number of officers, whose lives, watched over by the vigilant eyes of the sailors’ committees, have descended into utter nightmare. See more

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Leon Trotsky

Tauride Palace

Lenin calls Kerensky a swaggerer. Kerensky was and always will be an accidental figure, a placeholder for the real men of history. Each new and mighty wave of the revolution, sucking in masses of the untested and inexperienced, invariably throws up such fleeting heroes, only for these to be instantly blinded by their newfound radiance.

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The New York Times

The ‘Hymn of Free Russia’, heard for the first time in America yesterday afternoon at a benefit concert for the repatriated Siberian exiles, and overshadowing for the moment some of Russia’s greatest music in the same program, stirred an audience that filled Aeolian Hall, and left it excited as perhaps no other musical event has thrilled this public since the war. See more

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Nicholas II

Tsarskoye Selo, Russian Empire

It was a nice light day. I took a short walk until Mass. After breakfast I went with Alix to visit E. A. Naryshkin, who apparently had pneumonia. We worked in the vegetable garden and perspired a lot. I read until 7:15 and then for the first time I went for a ride with the children on bicycles. It was very pleasant to get out and breathe the evening air.

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23 May

What the Tsar’s family had for luncheon today

Drunk soldiers threaten to rape the Tsarina’s lady-in-waiting

Socialists from all over the world travel to Petrograd

Map of the Royal dynasties of Europe

Romanovs dangerous liaisons

From one revolution to another

Russia in 1917

+11

in Petrograd

+10

in Moscow