The German Spirit

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 78, 21 August 1914, Page 6

The German Spirit

— ■» -j EMINENT SOLDIER'S HriUKINX} FORECAST. VON Di.KNTiARDTS ROOK. Few works published in Germany in recent years ikuvo attracted greater attention inside the country- or out of it than did General Fried rich von lieni'hardt's work, "Germany and the Next War." To commence with, there da not a tfhadow of doubb than Yon Bernhardt was expressing, in genera], the views of the Prussian military party, and that ■bis work, whether he intended it ho or not, was a revelation of tta inner workin" of the. German official mir.d. The ■writer is an expert, I>y training, by associations, and by intellect fully .equipped for the tusk of interpreting the German spirit, and' especially the war spirit, One may puss over his praise of his country as tlna leading centre of culture and civilisation, 'because it really has nothing to do with tir-e proM ™. That Germany has' contributed her full share in recent years to the progress o*; science and geheral knowledge net'-is no argument, bud) it may be observed that the progress has teen aceomplisitvl in years of peace and not at a.I through war. General von Bernhardt opens with the fttatement tihait Germany imperatively, wants new markets for 'her. industry and new territory for 'her' sixty-five unjllio'.is of people, and on this foundation h-' builds Jib. argument thalt, 'being unable to stand still Germany must march f .t----ward until s'he lias- established her mercantile, commercial and, presumably, ■military supremacy-He bw& no doubt aa t» the consequence of this spirit of expansion—it must mean war. First of ail ho expresses the opinion that war with France is inevitable, inir. conveniently he shifts the blame for the outbreak on to French Then he sees, too, that a war witn Britain » also inevitable, Britain being at the momanlt the stumbling-block in the way of German commercial and naval supremacy. Here, again, he propose's to saddle Britain with the Blame. Naturally lie understands that a war cannot be confined! to Germany with Britain and France, and 'he argues that the Triple Alliance on one *ide and the Triple FJnten'te on the ether would be engaged. Moreveri he suggests that small countries like Holland, Belgium and Denmark could not raiium d'i»inter ested spectators -of the struggle'. Den(Bnark would have, to undeiltake- -the-re-sponsibility of Ikeaping the entrance vo the BnUfc Stu or,>en to .German warships while closing it to tin: Brit fell fleet, and it would 'be Ithc function of Holland and Re.giam to keep t...wi pons <s>en and to facilitate the passage of supplies for the German people, lit" the smfeill nations did not discharge- the functions thus assigned to ife-fla, they would have ito (be conquered. Every move made 'by Britain on, the s-ta would be answered by a German move on the l Continent. The next war, to quote a reviewer, will therefore wo: be a sma'l affair of two nations. It; will lie a. uni-ver.-ial European war. And it will no'. 1c a human'; war. "In Von Beniihardi'ii «wu phrase, it will be a wxr to th-. knife, an inexorable war, a war of either ipolitical' annihilation or political supremacy. ' Von- Bernhardt, -observes that <a striugple # on which stu'h tremendous issues i'.re dependent cannot be left to chance and it cannot be awaited idly. There mist -be diplomatic preparation, designed te '.strengthen the Triple AHiauc- and to rveaken Hike Triple Entente. At this point there arises o.n in:erdiscussion of the position' of /ialv, which at the present moment oc-. ittpies a dubious paction. T'te Trip!.? AJiance has 'been weaken'-d! by a Franco-Italian understanding, ;.nd is endangered by Italy's ambition to recover f,he provinces lost to Austria. Von lUei-nlhardtargnic-a that German diplomacy ought to aim at throwing Italian initerusts- anore and more into conflict 'with FreiKjiil end British interests in the Mediterranean.

Then there nrast be material preparation for the gr&iftl struggle. General •'on llernlurdt warns Ins countrymen against makinc rash assumptions." He places no great weight on, mere numbers. History, lie sayw, 'shows that masses are important only when the contestants are, equ:tlly 'niaichod in other -respects—in courage in organisation, ski.l, equipment and so forth. Quality is- the all-important factor. The technical portion of the work need not be considered here, bti', & pom. of importance on which Von I'.i-rnhu.rd i particularly insist* is that Germany oiiglht to fcalce the initiative. There has been mucin quoting of Frederick the Great in Germany, and Von Bernhardt invokes the aid of t'h,? great; Elector in ais argument. Frederick. h e «,vs, hr.l (he corner stone of W Gernr.ui'Empire by offensive wars. His \vai\« wore not forced upon him nor <lid he postpone until the last extremity. He reserved to himself to initiate '.the :i.:lack, to forestall his adversaries and to smvr.Uic most fa\onablc conditions. Von ISornliardt's advice to Germai.y is to abandon a. timorous and expectant policy. In si bold initiative. he declares lies the of Germany to-dnv! as- it did in Fred'.vickV.. day. '"W* nuisi initiate a. political action," he mivs in n MM'y i«issa ? e, ''which, w.i.lwut attacking France, will hurt he-' inlercflts and those of Britain, so severely Hiaib'bo.'b .Stains wi'-l feel obliged to'attack us." Tilsos'j are ominous words and they p-'ve come true. V(.!i Bernhardt does nol lift the veil of the future but. he ,|o- s reveal the direction of Gennan official thought during the p-,ut. d-'-eade or so.