For this unfortunate result, which tended to retard the natural growth
of constitutional freedom in Russia, the Government was severely blamed
by many of its critics, but I venture to think that a large share of the
responsibility must be attributed to the unreasonable impatience of the
Deputies and their supporters. In defense of this opinion I might adduce
many strong arguments, but I confine myself to citing a significant
little incident from my personal experience. Happening to meet at dinner
one evening immediately after the dissolution an old friend who had
played a leading part in the policy of obstruction, I took the liberty
of remarking to him that he and his party appeared to me to have
committed a strategical mistake. If they had shown themselves ready to
co-operate with the Government in resisting the dangerous revolutionary
movement and favoring moderate reforms, they might have made for
themselves, in the course of nine or ten years, a very influential
position in the parliamentary system, and might have greatly advanced
the cause of democracy which they had at heart. Here my friend
interrupted me with the exclamation: "Nine or ten years? We can't wait
so long as that!"
The Second Duma was shipwrecked, like its predecessor, through youthful
impatience. Among the Deputies there was a small group of Social
Democrats who attempted to prepare a military insurrection, and when the
conspiracy was discovered there was great reason to fear that the
Government might adopt a reactionary policy; but it happily confined
itself to some changes in the suffrage regulations and a dissolution of
the Chamber, followed by a general election.
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