SOCIALISM IN GERMANY

New Zealand Tablet, 2 May 1912, Page 57

SOCIALISM IN GERMANY

Among the causes of the success of Socialism in Germany, not the least is the fact that the military career in its higher offices is not open to the middle classes. The Vossisc/ie Ztitung publishes the following statistics on the matter which speak for themselves: ‘ Of the 42 officers who form a military suite of the Emperor, not a single one belongs to the bourgeoise. Of the 22 adjutants of the princes royal there are only two, and two in all from the marines. Among the 42 adjutants of the reigning German princes there are but six. An officer of the middle-classes has never been able to achieve the distinction of being appointed Chief of the General Staff, Minister of War, Governor of Berlin, Commander of the Police, Captain of the Palace Guard, General Inspector of Cavalry, President of the Examination Commission, Inspector of the Schools of War, Commander of the Corps of Cadets, and so on. . . . All the marshals, and all the colonel-generals are nobles; 46 generals out of 49, 73 lieutenant-generals out of 100, and 129 general-majors out of 189 are also of the nobility.’ There is no officer in the Guards who has not a title. The magic ‘von’ before their names advances junior officers over the heads of ordinary lieutenants.