Bernard
Pares was born in in England in 1867. Educated at Harrow
and Cambridge University where he developed
a strong interest in Russian history and in 1898 he made his first
visit to the country.
In
1902 Pares found employment as an adult education lecturer at the
recently established Liverpool University. Five years later he founded
the first School of Russian Studies at a British university. During
this period Pares was a regular visitor to Russia and met leading
figures in the Duma and the Russian government..
On
the outbreak of the First World War Pares was
appointed British Military Observer to the Russian
Army. He remained on the Eastern Front
for the next three years but left the country after the October
Revolution.
Pares
was sent back to Russia in January 1919 as an officer in the British
Army. He gave lectures in Siberia then held by Alexander
Kolchak. After the defeat of the White
Army Pares returned to Britain where he was appointed of Russian
history at London University.
In
1922 Pares founded and edited The Slavonic
Review and wrote several books including Day
by Day with the Russian Army (1915), A
History of Russia (1926), Fall
of the Russian Monarchy (1939) and Russia
and the Peace (1944). Bernard
Pares died in 1949.
(1)
Bernard Pares was a regular visitor to Russia
during the reign of Nicholas II.
At this time the favourite object of persecution was the
Jewry of Russia, which was in 1914 nearly one half of the whole Jewish
population of the world. And here Nicholas was as bad as Alexander.
It was not just a question of what rights the Jews did not possess,
but whether they had the right to exist at all. But for special exemptions,
the Jewish population was confined to the so-called Jewish Pale of
Settlement, where they lived under Polish rule before the partitions
of Poland.
(2)
Bernard Pares wrote about George Gapon
and Bloody Sunday in his book the The
Fall of the Russian Monarchy (1939)
Gapon's organization was based on a representation of
one person for every thousand workers. He planned a peaceful demonstration
in the form of a march to the Winter Palace, carrying church banners
and singing religious and national songs. Owing to the idiocy of the
military authorities, the crowd was met with rifle fire both at the
outskirts of the city and the palace square. The actual victims, as
certified by a public commission of lawyers of the Opposition, was
approximately 150 killed and 200 wounded; and as all who had taken
a leading part in the procession were then expelled from the capital,
the news was circulated all over the Empire.
(3)
Bernard Pares wrote about Sergei Sazonov
in his book, The Fall of the Russian Monarchy (1939).
At this time the Tsar nor his army had any doubt (that
if there was a war) of the ultimate victory of the Triple Entente,
and Nicholas played at the then fashionable game of redividing up
the world. Russia must receive Posen, part of Silesia, Galicia and
North Bukovina which will permit her to reach her natural limit, the
Carpathians. The Turks were to be driven from Europe; the Northern
Straits might be Bulgarian, but the environs of Constantinople - Sazonov
had not yet asked for the city itself - must be in the hands of Russia.
(4)
Bernard Pares met
Alexander Guchkov several times between
1898 and 1917.
Guchkov,
grandson of a serf, son of a merchant and magistrate of Moscow, was
a restless spirit always coming into prominence on this or that issue
of the moment. Guchkov's chief quality was a daring gallantry; he
was at ease with himself and enjoyed stepping forward under fire with
a perfect calm whenever there was anything which he wished to challenge;
his defect was his restlessness; without actually asking for it, he
was instinctively always in the limelight, always trying to do too
much.
He
had the easy organizing ability of a first-rate English politician;
he was quietly proud of his democratic origin, and all his actions
were inspired by an ardent love for Russia and the Russian people,
in whose native conservatism, common sense and loyalty he fully shared.
(5)
Bernard Pares wrote about Alexander Protopopov,
Michael Rodzianko and Gregory
Rasputin in his book, The Fall of the Russian Monarchy
(1939).
Protopopov was elected to the Duma, and was actually chosen
as Vice-President; there he posed as a moderate liberal asking for
an extension of parliamentary rights.
Suffering
from ill health, which was later to develop into progressive paralysis,
he sought the attentions of Rasputin, who put him through a prolonged
cure.
Rodzianko,
who was a poor judge of men, took account of him; so also did Guchkov,
who regarded him as a man who could get things done. In the Duma,
as elsewhere, Protopopov played for popularity, and was this to be
considered as a member of the Progressives. Protopopov was in reality
not Rodzianko's man, but Rasputin's.
(6)
Bernard Pares believed that Nicholas II
made a serious mistake when he appointed Boris
Sturmer as Prime Minister during the First
World War.
Sturmer was a shallow and dishonest creature, without
even the merit of courage. Sturmer was prepared to pose as a semi-liberal
and to try in this way to keep the Duma quiet. Rasputin backed Sturmer,
and also the Empress, and he was suddenly appointed Prime Minister
on February 2nd and to the surprise of everyone, and most of all Goremykin,
who, as was usual with the Emperor, had never been given the idea
that he was even in danger.
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