21 April 1917. Mathilde Kschessinska

apartment of P. N. Vladimirov, Alekseevskaya street, 10, Petrograd, Russian Empire

One day I was visited by Semion Nicolaievitch Rogov, the balleto- mane and journalist, whom I knew well. He had been called up and drafted to the reserve battalion of the Kexholm Regiment, part of the Guard; he wore the uniform and mixed constantly with the soldiers. He was therefore perfectly informed on the state of mind prevailing in the barracks and on what went on there.

Rogov called on me to make me a strange and rather unexpected proposal: would I participate in a performance which the soldiers of his regiment were organising in the Conservatoire Theatre? I was naturally appalled at this idea, which seemed preposterous. I, Kschessinska, to dance before soldiers and at such a time? It was pure madness ! In spite of my objections, Rogov set out to convince me that it was a serious and long-thought-out plan. He tried to prove that I would do much better to give my own free consent: these performances were becoming frequent, and artists were more or less constrained to take part. Rogov finally succeeded in gaining my support with the assurance that I should be in no danger and that my appearance would be greeted with universal enthusiasm. Afterwards I should be able to move freely about town without fear, instead of hiding as hitherto. My wardrobe was still intact, and my Russian costume and everything needed was brought.

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Alexandra Feodorovna

Tsarskoye Selo, Russian Empire

The day of our engagement (23 years).

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Nadezhda Krupskaya with Vladimir Lenin

Elizarov's apt. 24, 52 Shirokaya Street., Petrograd, Russian Empire

Lenin's theses were printed in Pravda. This was followed the next day by an article in Pravda by Kamenev "Our Disagreements," in which he dissociated himself from these theses. Kamenev's article stated that they were the expression of Lenin's private views, which neither Pravda nor the Bureau of the Central Committee shared. It was not these theses of Lenin's that the Bolshevik delegates had accepted, but those of the Central Committee Bureau, Kamenev alleged. Pravda stood on its former positions, he declared. See more

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Kira Allendorf

Moscow, Russian Empire

Easter is behind us! The day after tomorrow study begins! I was very sad to see the back of Easter; it wasn’t so fun this year.

Now I will write down everything, that we had on our table: we had veal, capon, eggs, four Easter cakes, a Russian cheesecake, two more cakes, sweets, salmon, two bottles of wine, one of grape juice, some fruits and, it seems, that was all.

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Sophie Buxhoeveden with

Tsarskoye Selo, Russian Empire

One day the Grand Duchess Tatiana and I saw from the window that one of the guards on duty in front of the Palace, struck evidently with the injustice of having to stand at his post, had brought a gilt armchair from the halls and had com- fortably ensconced himself therein, leaning back, enjoying the view, with his rifle across his knee. I remarked that the man only wanted cushions to complete the picture. There was evidently telepathy in my eye, for when we looked out again, he had actually got some sofa cushions out of one of the rooms, and, with a footstool under his feet, was reading the papers, his discarded rifle lying on the ground!

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Maurice Paleologue

10, Kutuzova embankment, Petrograd, Russian Empire

When Miliukov assured me that Lenin had been hopelessly discredited in the eyes of the Soviet by the extravagance of his "defeatism," he was once more the victim of an optimistic illusion. See more

On the contrary, Lenin's influence seems to have been increasing greatly in the last few days. One point of which there can be no doubt is that he has already gathered round him, or under his orders, all the hot-heads of the revolution; he is now established as a strong leader.

Born on the 23rd April, 1870, at Simbirsk on the Volga, Vladimir Flitch Ulianov, known as Lenin, is a pure Russian. His father, who belonged to the provincial petite noblesse, was employed in the department of education. In 1887 his eldest brother, implicated in a plot against Alexander III, was condemned to death and hung. This tragedy determined the whole course of life of young Vladimir Flitch, who was finishing his education at Kazan University: he threw himself heart and soul into the revolutionary movement. The destruction of tsarism was thereafter an obsession with him, and the gospel of Karl Marx became his breviary. In January, 1897, the police, who were keeping an eye on him, exiled him for three years to Minuschinsk, on the Upper Jenissei, near the Mongolian frontier. On the expiration of his sentence, he was permitted to leave Russia and he made his home in Switzerland, from which he frequently visited Paris. Tireless in his activities, he soon formed an enthusiastic sect which he fired with the cult of international Marxism. During the seditious. disorders of 1905 he thought for a moment that his hour had come, and secretly returned to Russia. But the crisis passed; it was only a prelude, the first stirring of popular passions, and he went back into exile.

Lenin, utopian dreamer and fanatic, prophet and metaphysician, blind to any idea of the impossible or the absurd, a stranger to all feelings of justice or mercy, violent, machiavellian and crazy with vanity, places at the service of his messianic visions a strong unemotional will, pitiless logic and amazing powers of persuasion and command. Judging by the reports I have received of his first speeches, he is insisting on the revolutionary dictatorship of the working and rural masses; he is preaching that the proletariat has no country and proclaiming his longing for the defeat of the Russian armies. When anyone attacks his crude fancies with some argument drawn from the realm of reality, he replies with the gorgeous phrase: "So much the worse for reality!" Thus it is mere waste of time to endeavour to convince him that if the Russian armies are destroyed, Russia will become helpless prey in the claws of the German conqueror who, after gorging himself on her, will abandon her to the convulsions of anarchy. The man is all the more dangerous because he is said to be pure-minded, temperate and ascetic. Such as I see him in my mind's eye, he is a compound of Savanarola and Marat, Blanqui and Bakunin.

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Nicholas II

Tsarskoye Selo, Russian Empire

We quietly celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary. The weather became warm and spring-like. During the morning I walked for a long time with Alexis. I learned why yesterday's guards were so mean. They were completely from the staff of the Soldier's Soviet and had replaced the guards from the 4th Infantry Reserve Battalion, We worked near the dock under a warm sun and were watched by a large crowd. See more

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The New York Times

Money, ammunition, and railway rolling stock are the primary necessities which Russia wants America to help her to obtain. “If America can help supply us with these, she will not only have added greatly to the services she already has extended to the Allies, but will materially help Russia to defeat Germany on the eastern front”, Russian Foreign Minister Paul N. Milukoff said.

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20 April

A friend of Lenin argues with his wife about women's rights

The Germans are in no hurry to overthrow the Kaiser

"Chekhov is hugely talented, but also vulgar and entirely devoid of any values"