This article is dedicated to the problem of how the Russian liberals considered their relations with Europe, and, in particular, how they learned from the UK, France, and other countries for carrying out total mobilization during the First World War. Inspired by the experiences in these countries, the liberals made a significant contribution to constructing a mobilization regime in the Russian Empire. An interesting material in this regard is Vladimir Nabokov’s From Warring Britain (Petrograd, 1916), a report by a prominent Russian liberal who had visited the UK and France for researching war efforts. His depiction on giant factories, the trenches of the Western Front, the talk with H. G. Wells on the war, the introduction of the conscription system in the UK and so on informed vividly the Russian readers of some cardinal issues of the total mobilization. Thus, the Russian liberals, with the moral support given by public opinion of the Entente, tried hard to make their Empire continue the war. Paradoxically, their efforts led to the prolongation of war experience in Russia, with the result of shaking social stability, to open a way for an anti-liberal development of the country.
抄録全体を表示