modern philosophy of history, tells us that human history is only a succession of corsi and ricorsi—of periodical recurrences—that mankind moves in a spiral, each successive generation, reverting to the point from which it started, but each time starting afresh on a higher level. Contemporary Russian history strikingly illustrates this theory of "recurrences." The internal political situation in Russia after the European War will be substantially the same as that which existed after the Russo-Japanese War. All the difficulties which confronted the Government in 1906 will still confront the Government in 1916. Nearly all the reforms which demanded a solution then still demand a solution to-day. The land question is still largely unsolved. Decentralization and Home Rule are wanted as urgently as ever. Finland and Poland still demand autonomy. An independent judicature, an independent Church, an independent Press, are still pious desiderata. Armenians and Jews are still suffering from shocking disabilities and still require protection against organized massacre.
The only difference between the political situation in 1906 and the situation to-day is this, that the demands for reform will be far
