12 THE ZEMSTVOS DURING THE WAR
the zemstvos was not something new that came to life in the sixties
of the last century, as a result of the establishment of local government.
 Its antecedents may be traced to the very sources of Russian
history, where the term “zemstvo” frequently occurs, meaning “the
men of the land,” those men who always were a creative element in
the life of the state. They were traditionally opposed to the members
of the central administration, as men who lived on the land and were
its real masters.
The Russian people, as a whole, know their own strength and
have faith in it. Perhaps they even have too much faith, as happens
to those who are sure of their power, and they therefore quietly and
even humorously accept the threats and blows of fate. They will
endure anything because of their strength, but not because they are
slaves. They will never break down, and in the midst of the chaos of
destruction will lay the foundation of the temple of their new faith.
They are willing to accept limitations and restrictions in the name
of order and public good, but they will never be a slave of the Government.
 They have too much moral strength to accept slavery.
The gentleness and inertness of the Russian character coupled
with an inborn reserve offered frequent temptations to the Government
 to abuse its power, but this invariably ended in rebellion when
the Russian kindliness gave place to uncontrollable violence, rebellions
 for which Russia had often to pay by years of suffering. But
they always emerged from the ordeal regenerated and stronger than
before.
The zemstvos existed for only thirty-three years. Their history
has never been sufficiently studied not only because of the atmosphere
 of suspicion created round it by the Government, but also because
 of the rapidity of their own growth. But a mere outline of their
achievements in the field of economic life and their place among the
institutions of the country point to the foundations on which they
were built and the sources from which were derived their great accomplishments.
 They are the moral forces of a nation and its
capacity for self-government.
In opposition to the traditional view that was accepted as religious
 dogma, that the Russian State could be built only by autocratic
 methods, that autocracy is an inalienable attribute of the
Russian State and has its roots in the conscience of the Russian
people, the history of the zemstvos shows that Russia has tremen-