Leonid Andreev (1871–1919), a writer of the Silver Age, couldn’t get used to the reality of war. He wondered: «How is it possible that millions of people come together to kill each other, experiencing the same suffering and misery? Isn’t that madness?» At first, Andreev enthusiastically embraced World War I, hoping for the revival of the «Russian spirit.» But later he realized the possible tragic consequences and sensed the national catastrophe he feared even in the pre-war years. He worried about the potential disintegration of the country and a fratricidal war. The journalism collected in this book is devoted to the most important questions facing Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. The PDF A4 edition design matches the original publishing layout.