Moved by the thought, which is in the minds of the entire people,
that the good of the country is paramount, I have adopted the firm
resolution to accept the supreme power only if this be the will of
our great people, who, by a plebiscite organized by their
representatives in a Constituent Assembly, shall establish a form
of government and new fundamental laws for the Russian state.
Consequently, invoking the benediction of our Lord, I urge all
citizens of Russia to submit to the Provisional Government,
established upon the initiative of the Duma and invested with full
plenary powers, until such time which will follow with as little
delay as possible, as the Constituent Assembly, on a basis of
universal, direct, equal, and secret suffrage, shall, by its
decision as to the new form of government, express the will of the
people.
The hated Romanov dynasty was ended at last. It is not likely that
Grand-Duke Michael entertained the faintest hope that he would ever be
called to the throne, either by a Constituent Assembly or by a popular
referendum. Not only was the Romanov dynasty ended, but equally so was
monarchical Absolutism itself.
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