Konrad and Alexandra (PDF) - Rolf Gross

"We still have no reliable firsthand reports. Apparently a young priest, father Gapon, had been set up by the governmentto found a ‘Union for Cultural and Social Welfare’ among the workers in order to draw people away from the influence ofthe extreme left. With the help of the liberals, Gapon composed a petition to the Tsar to air the worker’s grievances andapplied for permission to march to the Winter Palace to present this petition to the Emperor. The St. Petersburg citygovernment could not make up their mind.Gapon marched without permission, and when the singing and praying demonstrators grew to alarming numbers—someestimate that a hundred thousand pushed into Dvortsovaya Square—the police panicked and began systematicallyshooting the people who were praying on their knees in the snow. The panic that broke out did the rest. Nobody hascounted the dead and wounded."Alexandra listened, numb. She had not touched her food.Unrelenting, Joachim continued. "So much for the horrid facts. The Emperor remained disinterested, he gave noconciliatory speech, nor did he order an investigation into the police action. Rumors say that he congratulated his troopsfor their valor. The immediate result of this tragedy was an international outcry, and the final collapse of all trust amongthe simple people into ‘Father-Tsar’ and his ‘infallible’ theocratic rule."He bit off a piece of bread and slowly chewed on it with grim determination. "Two months ago I talked to Alexandra’sdistant cousin, Sergey Witte. Witte feels that only a military dictatorship could save the Tsar and the country, but becauseof the miserable progress of the Japanese-Russian War such an organized military coup would be technically impossibleat this time. That brings me to the origins of this dangerous tragedy."He paused with clenched teeth. Clara suggested that they eat a few bites, but nobody was in any mood for enjoying thefood."Do continue Joachim," said Alexandra, "if we are still hungry after this tale, we can eat later."Joachim began anew. "The war with Japan has taken a disastrous turn. Port Arthur had to capitulate to the Japanesewho are now chasing the Russian troops through Manchuria. So many troops have been sent to the Pacific that there arenot enough left to quell an uprising at home. To make things worse, the Army and especially the Navy are so thoroughlyinfiltrated by Socialist radicals, that there are not enough reliable soldiers around to guarantee the safety of the Emperor,not to mention of the general public."Konrad raised his eyebrows. "The Emperor should resign immediately!""Konrad, this would lead to complete chaos in the present situation. Nobody has the power and level-headedness to runRussia. As long as the war in Mongolia is continuing, a change of government is out of question."Joachim looked at Alexandra. "All of this has led to uprisings among the restive minorities—one third of the Tsar’ssubjects are not Russian!—in Poland, in the Baltics, and in the Transcaucasus. Your uncle Dadiani in Mingrelia hassuffered extensive devastations in his tea plantations. Listen, this is serious, the revolution has started in Russia."He shook his head and sighed. "There is only one person who could save the situation: Witte, with his skill, internationalconnections, and his exceptional determination he could bring order and an end to the war. But Nicholas is incapable ofany clear decisions, and the court clique, whose puppet Nicholas is, does not trust Witte."To my dismay I found that Berlin is working quietly to jeopardize Witte’s attempts at securing a European state loan.Emperor Wilhelm would not be unhappy if his Russian cousin tumbled. But Wilhelm cannot comprehend that if theRussian throne collapses his would follow. Wilhelm is pursuing some rather megalomaniac political ideas in Europe andin Tangier.... But I should not discuss my personal problems with you. I would lose my position, if not my head, if any ofwhat I told you would leak from this room with my name attached to it."Joachim looked seriously from Konrad to Alexandra. "I would recommend for you to stay here. Tsar or Socialism, thechaos of the next few years is bound to be deadly."Clara raised her hands and looked at him aghast. "How can you suggest such a thing? Alexandra has her family inGeorgia. She is a Russian subject. Konrad’s work is in St. Petersburg, and he is married to Alexandra for good or bad.""Clara, I am serious. We will get out as diplomats, but Konrad and Alexandra will have to suffer the full consequences ofwhat is to come. There is still time for such a move."Konrad had listened resting his chin in his hand, elbows on the table. This was the first time the suggestion to return toGermany had turned up. He had never considered a flight to Germany an alternative. He surely did not sympathize withthe Russian nationalists, but Alexandra was Georgian."I don’t consider a retreat to Germany an acceptable solution. I may be German, but I don’t feel an allegiance toGermany like you do, Joachim. I am married to Alexandra and my home is there. One cannot change one’s allegiancesovernight. And Alexandra feels she has a mission as a physician among her countrymen. This may sound like naïveSocialism to you, but I fully support her idealism."Red-faced, Joachim said. "Konrad, it will be a matter of life and death, not a question whether you should stay or not."Alexandra, who had listened quietly, sat bolt upright and said. "Joachim, if I try to look at your suggestion with a modicumof rationality, I see many reasons that speak for your suggestion and many personal ones that are against it. I amGeorgian as Clara and Konrad point out. Georgians are very hard to transplant, and my ‘mission’ as Konrad calls it, is inno small measure my way of coping with these threats to our existence and with my ‘homesickness’ of living in northern106