ABSTRACT
Sir George Buchanan, Great Britain’s ambassador to Russia during World War I, published his widely read memoirs in 1923. In those pages, he provided an influential account of the response of the Russian people to Germany’s declaration of war:
Buchanan’s assessment of Russia’s response to tjie war was seconded by his compatriot Sir Alfred Knox, Britain’s military attache in Russia:
Both of these men placed Russia’s experience firmly within the dom - inant European paradigm of the Great War. The Russian throngs cheering their soldiers on to victory fit quite nicely with the image of Europe marching proudly, innocently, and unanimously to war in 1914. This picture of glorious enthusiasm made the ensuing horror and social collapse all the more dramatic. World War I became Act V of the “long” European nineteenth century, turning morality play into tragedy.
