UNDER GERMAN HEEL

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20923, 30 September 1939, Page 15 (Supplement)

UNDER GERMAN HEEL

Czechoslovakians 1 Plight : Hope for Freedom (M. R. Shapley in Christian Science Monitor.)

THE WORLD OUTSIDE knows that Czechoslovakia has disappeared and that in its place there exists what has been described as the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia, over which a Protector rules as the personal representative of the German Reich Chancellor and Fuehrer. This new situation began on March 15 last when the German troops occupied the country. It startled the world, because it was so patent a breach of all that Adolf Hitler and his close associates had publicly declared. It clearly revealed that National Socialist foreign policy had set its course toward an imperialism, which would achieve its end at whatever cost. Nowadays, less than six months after the military occupation, there is all-too-reliable evidence that the Germans are out to run this territory as if it were merely a part of the Third Reich. The goal is the absolute uniformity' of the Czechs on a National Socialist basis, with the Germans Playing the Part of the Overlord in the grand manner which most civilised people had begun to think was a thing of the past in Europe. The first evidence that this is a protectorate of the Third Reich is conveyed to the foreigner when he attempts to enter the country, Formerly, the Czechoslovak, upon the presentation of a proper passport, would issue a visa. But now the prospective visitor is questioned in such a way as to indicate that he would do better to travel elsewhere. For Czechs, it is a long, tedious process to obtain the necessary papers for leaving the country, and they consider themselves fortunate if they get out at all. But once in Prague, what a different city presents itself to the person who knew it m earlier days! The buildings remain. The Hradcany still stands out magnificently above the Vltava, the Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square, and the charming baroque palaces of the Mala Strand have not lost their ancient beauty. But the real Prague—that which constitutes the life and atmosphere of this city—is being crushed. Formerly, one came here for a welcome breath of democratic air after a sojourn in totalitarian States, to an island of freedom in which European literature was still to be obtained and where fundamental issues could be openly discussed. To-day, Prague is as much a German city as force can make it. Now, there are only the whisperings round cafe tables or in private homes, the fears of arrest by the Gestapo (secret police), and the heavy hand of Political' and Racial Reaction Everywhere. The new political orientation began last September, after the Munich Agreement. It had developed to such a degree before March 15 that there were but two parties in Parliament and only one of these—the so-called conservative—was functioning. Then followed the establishment of a single all-national party, which appears quite innocuous, but which has been prevented from functioning properly because of the activities of the Czech Fascists, whose recent demands duplicate what the extreme National Socialists have enforced in Germany. The activities of these Fascists appear to be either the result of encouragement from the German authorities or are such that they can only benefit the Germans should they desire later to intervene still further on the grounds that the Czechs themselves cannot maintain internal order. This latter is an eventuality which is considered possible by many Czechs to-day. There is even less reason to-day for any more direct German interference than there was on March 15 last. People are going about their business in the ordinary way and any idea of armed resistance is out of the question, since the Czechs have been deprived of their arms and know what a welcome excuse this would be for the Gestapo to swing into action. Up to the present, though a few concentration camps have been established, the majority of the arrests made have been more for information than for any other purpose. Many prominent

Czechs—professors, journalists, and others —have been questioned in this way, but very few of them have been detained longer than 48 hours. Apart from politics, in the realms of culture and of economics everything is being done to Germanise the Land as fast as possible. The statements of Adolf Hitler, of Protector Constantin von Neurath and others have all emphasised that Bohemia-Moravia would be far better off as a protectorate than as an independent republic because of the greater freedom it would enjoy. Yet what is happening in the realm of culture? It was to be expected that German would be made an official language, side by side with Czech; that German and Czech street signs would appear in the chief cities. But that was merely a first step. The German censor is to-day busy everywhere. All newspapers, periodicals, and books from the democratic countries which were considered anti-German have been banned. Many of the Czechs classics are now forbidden in school libraries and bookshops because of their nationalist tendencies. There are only about 60,000 Germans in Prague, yet their cultural needs must be catered for in three theatres. The last of these to be taken over is the famous Stavovske Divadlo (Estates Theatre), which was an annex of the Czech National Theatre, and of particular historical significance to musicians, since Mozart’s opera, “Don Giovanni,” was first performed here in October, 1787. The financial upkeep of these theatres will have to be borne by public funds, which means that the Czechs will be taxed to pay for Encouraging German Culture at the expense of their own. The strenuous efforts which are also being made to control all branches of public education from the university downward are quite contrary to the cultural autonomy which was promised to the Czechs less than three months ago. In the economic field, the Germanisation of industry has proceeded at a tremendous pace. Aryanisation in reality means Germanisation, since the businesses taken from the Jews are rarely allowed to find their way into Czech hands. Bohemia-Moravia, which formerly had an excellent foreign trade balance, has become simply an economic annex of Germany. Practically all trade, recent figures show, is already with the Reich, and the gold and foreign exchange reserves are at the disposal of the invaders. Czech manufacturers, being no longer permitted to purchase raw materials from abroad, have to work at the bidding of the Reich. Bohemia-Mora-via has now come within the sphere of the German Four-Year Plan, and the military and economic needs of the Reich have to be the Protectorate’s first concern. The Skoda Works, the famous armaments firm, is working day and night, but its output is going to Germany and its allies. The National Socialists are looking to Bohemia-Moravia also for the solution of their labour scarcity problem. Thousands of Czech workers have already been “voluntarily” sent to work in German factories and Czech servant girls in a number of districts have been asked to volunteer for service in the Reich—but if the requisite number is not forthcoming, they will be compelled to go. The fear that the Czech crown (kroner) •will soon be replaced by the German mark has led to a Wave of Bitterly Careless Spending in Prague, as when inflation is expected. But there is this difference. The Germans have already taken away to the Reich such large quantities of the things they require that stores are very low, and there are no prospects of their being replenished. The Czechs are naturally despondent, but they have not surrendered their hopes. In fact, they confidently believe that a change must come, and are determined that whether it comes in one generation or 20, they will not surrender their national heritage.