Alexander Guchkov's speech to the Duma, April 2nd, 1917
My countrymen,
It has been a long and grueling war for our motherland. Our men have been without adequate rations and munitions for far too long. Our soldiers desert by the thousands as they starve on the front lines. As Minister of War, I demand that we ramp up our production and provide land compensation to incentivize our men to remain loyal. We have won key victories when we were better equipped, and I believe we can still end this war with honor if we make the necessary reinforcements and reforms. We shall not concede defeat to the Germans after all we have put in. We can only make our Russia great if we stay united against the foreign powers who seek to destroy it. I have faith that our people will endure as our forefathers did in times of crisis.
