Germany Pays Her Pound of Flesh

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 16, 30 October 1931, Page 6

Germany Pays Her Pound of Flesh

Political Crises Inhibit Industrial Expansion

By

R. M.

LAING

M.A., B.Sc.

(A Talk from 3YA.)

In the present collapse of international finance standards, few countries have suffered worse than Germany. ‘But does that country, which still struggles under the exacting terms of the Treaty of Versailles, excite the sympathy it ought? In this article the writer answers that question and expounds some reasons why Germany, now with some 15 millions unemployed, is in an almost catastrophic state.

WN 1918, Austen Chamberlair stated the war was a race between victory and revolution on both sides. He was right, and in the defeated States revolutions took place, but the war still goes on, not now with high explosives, battleships and bombs, but in the economic area-by war debts, reparations and tariffs-and the present race is in many countries between economic stability and revolution or anarchy. . This is particularly true in Germany, which is only at present held together by pressure from without. Apart from this international pressure Germany would break up into warring parties, revolution would follow, and the country might finally be controlled by a Fascist (Hitlerite), or, on the other hand, Communist Party. The Germans know, however, that France and her Allies are ever on the watch; and on the failure of Germany to meet her agreements would at once invade or adopt other unpleasant tactics to endeavour to compel payment. This fear of outside nations, together with the common sense of the large majority of the Germans, alone at present keeps the Government in its place, and prevents the various camps from breaking out into open rebellion. Such, briefly, is the present position, but in order to understand it we must go back to the period at the end of the war and outline events from that date. In 1918 the impossible happeneda revolution in Germany. Up till the beginning of the war no country seemed to have.a more stable Government than Germany. The masses of the people were too docile and well disciplined to give colour to any suggestion of revolt. The Government appeared to be more solidly entrenched than any other European Government. It is true that there were many parties in the Parliament or Reichstag, but none of these had a controlling power or seemed likely to have it. It is. to be remembered that in Continental] Parliaments no single party as a rule holds the reins of government. The. governing body is usually composite, made up of groups of differing opinions-veering sometimes to the Right‘or Left, to the Conservative or to the..Radical-but as a rule avoidIng extteme positions. Now the largest single party in 1914 was the Social Democratic Party, which in itself was also largely divided in its aims. On its extreme left were the Communists, led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa ..:.Luxemburg-showing a standard .of a brilliant red-but on the right -the flags were only faintly pink and the views of the members were mildly. liberal-when the war came Karl Iiebknecht was the only one who dared.to vote against war credits, As revolufionists and pacifists he and his party-openly denounced the war. Wheh the Russian revolution came in 1917, it gave an immense impetus to Comminist prupaganda in Germany. This yéar, tou, Was Koulruben (turnip) "

year in Germany-when the majority of the people lived chiefly on turnips; and anti-war sentiment was growing fast. Out of the left wing of the Social Democratic Party sprang what during the revolution was termed the Spartacist Party. The Spartacus League, inspired by Rosa Luxemburg and K. Liebknecht, made great headway in undermining the workers’ support of the war, but during the revolution the two leaders were arrested and assassinated. From the Spartacist League, however, there has developed the modern Communist Party, of which more anon. Opposed to Spartacists was the ultrapatriotic Vaterlands partei, under the leadership of Admiral von Tirpitz. This was the forerunner of the reactionary nationalist groups in Germany at the present time, and of the Hitlerites. On October 4, 1918, "as a forlorn hope," the Kaiser appointed as

Chancellor the Liberal Prince Max of Baden, who, forthe first time in German history, included Socialists in his Ministry. On October 28 the fleet at Kiel mutinied; by November 4 the whole navy was in revolt. By this time the. military situation on land as well as at sea had become desperate. Soldiers and. workers’ councils were formed at sea and on shore. On November 8 Bavaria proclaimed itself a republic, and the Bavarian royal family fled the same day. On November 7 an ultimatum was issued by the Socialist leader, Scheidemann, that unless the Kaiser abdicated the Socialists would resign from the Goyernment. On November 10 the Kaiser fled to Holland; and a _ Republican Government. was formed by the Social Democratic Party and Independent Socialists of Germany. However, the Spartacists continued’ to fan the flames of. discontent and party strife, dnd raised a rebellion which was put down with bloodshed in the so-

called Spartacus week, January 5-12, . 1919. Yet their work still lives in the Communist group. A Constitution Drawn Up. T Weimar in the same year a constitution was drawn up-said to be the most democratic in the worldand put in force, The Reichstag (or lower chamber) is elected by universal suffrage, on the principles of proportional representation. A second chamber representing the different Stat has subordinate powers. Provision .4s also made for the initiative and referendum. The State church was done away with, as well as the extremely antiquated and reactionary Governments throughout the Empire. This democratic Government is now on its trial. As a result of the publication of the Versailles Treaty in 1920, an ultrapatriotic Conservative revolution broke out led by Dr. Kapp, usually known as the Kapp Putsch. A general strike made it abortive,. and Kapp ignominiously fled to Sweden. Germany was learning the tacties of passive resistance. Internal Quiet. . ‘ SINCE this date to the present there have been no dangerous internal disturbances in Germany, but the na+ tion is still at fever heat below the surface; though there are also strong forces making for peace and stability. The Government has throughout tended towards the Right or Conservatism. War Debts and Reparations. UT Germany is suffering many injustices and until these are rectified or at least adjusted there will be turmoil in the land; perhaps the greatest and most evil of all is the statement in Article 231 of the Treaty: of Versailles that Germany was solely responsible for the war, and that therefore she may justly be called upon to pay war debts and reparations. Every student of war origins now knows this statement is false, and the imposition of payments of astronomical proportions on Germany quite unjustifiable. Until this economic burden ‘Ys removed from Germany there will be dispeace in the land. The Treaty of Versailles must be revised. A second great injustice from which Germany is suffering is the removal from her rule of the territory now known as the Polish corridor and the placing of it in control of Poland under the plea that the inhabitants are mostly Poles. Territories that had been German for 700 years have been placed under the tyrannical Polish’ rule by the treaty. As a matter of fact, the corridor is chiefly inhabited neither by Poles nor Germans, but by an old Slav race _. known as Cassubians. In any case the numbers of Germans in the territory probably outnumber the Poles, though accurate statistics are hard to come by. By this corridor Hast Prussia is separated from the rest of Germany and the Poles, and obstacles put in the way of free transport. (Concluded on page 29.)

Germany Pays Her Pound of Flesh

(Continued from page 6.)

The conduct of the French in the occupied territory has also much embittered feeling in Germany, Their uncivilised black soldiers were put in control of the local inhabitants. Their presence was an insult, as it was intended so to be. Into nauseating details of the conduct of thé black troops I cannot go now. I might go on multiplying cases of the harsh treatment of Germany, but time will not permit. One other only must be wmentioned. Beyond and above all these already referred to has been the slow starvation of Germany. In the first place by the cruel and unjustifiable blockade after the Armistice. when three-quarters of a million of Ger-mans-mostly women and childrenlost their lives. Up till 1924 or 1925 starvation was common — throughout Germany, and tens of thousands of those who did not die were physically ruined for life by rickets and other wasting deficiency diseases, Again, during the last three years there has been much food insufficiency; 15 millions, as we have already seen, are ulemployed, and of the middle classes particularly other millions are destitute and famine-ridden. The whole condition of the country at the present moment is catastrophic. The pity of it all is that immediately after the war Germany, chastened and reformed, was only too anxious to conform to all that was fair and reasonable, and had it received just treatment the whole world, including Germany, would have been more prosperous now, but the ill-treatment she has received has stirred up in her again the worst of nationalistic prejudices. These are represented by what is perhaps the most dangerous movement in Germany, the Nationalist Socialists. often. called the Nazis. or from their leader Hitlerites. These are strongly anti-Jewish and would deprive all Jews of citizenship and property; they are bitter against the Treaty of Versailles, which they would denounce: they are against the present Government of Germany and are really revolutionary Fascists, who are anxious for a dictatorship in Germany resembling that of Italy. Hitler, At the head of the Nazis is Hitler. His past is obscure, but he is an Austrian and has been a house painter. In 1928 Hitler and Ludendorff staged a revolt in Bavaria. but nothing came of it. Hitler was sentenced to five years in a fortress, and Ludendorff was reduced to foaming impotence. Powerful influence enabled Hitler to get off with a few months’ sentence, and now he attacks the Government on more constitutional lines, but so complicated is the position that in the German election a year ago there were 24 parties, with 24 programmes, and 24 lists of candidates, However, the number of Fascists in the Reichstag was raised from 12 to 107, the number of Communists from 56 to 76, the total number of members being somewhat over 400. After attending the House for a short time the Hitlerites withdrew in disgust, and attempted to raise huge meetings of protest over the country. ~

Revolution. 1 may be asked why the Hitlerites have not already raised a revolution in Germany. Probably the reason is they know that even if successful they could not carry on without for-. eign credits, and they further know that they could not under present circumstances get these credits. Hitler’s headquarters are at Munich. The other dangerous revolutionary party is the Communist, with its headquarters in Berlin, where at the last election they polled some 400,000 votes. This party is purely Marxian and desires to imitate the Soviets of Russia: but though wild and fiery in its language, it has so far scarcely shown a disposition to attack by force. Other parties can all be arranged under three heads-the Catholic, the Nationist or Conservative, and the Socialist. These are subdivided in many ways, but the Social Democrats (Liberals) hold the balance of power. Now Germany has about 100,000 soldiers legally recognised by treaty, but all the various parties maintain and drill troopssometimes in defiance of the Government, and sometimes with its tacit consent. These troops are nominally unarmed, though they may have a few machine-guns and rifles stowed awayGermany to-day consists indeed. of a series of organised and uniformed camps ("Nation," January 14, 1931). There are nearly one million men in the Stahlhelm, the reactionary old militaristic veterans’ organisation; there are about three and a half million men in the Reichsbanner, the supporters of the present Republic Government, There are at least half a million brown-shirted Hitlerites, and possibly 300,000 in the secret Red Front or Communist organisations. Secret Organisations. [7 is said that the police bave,the situation well in hand, but how can a country be at peace when full of such more or less secret organisations? Not

orn a-day goes by but some of the men in these groups are killed or wounded, not a day on which some of their meetings are not broken up by force. ’ Yet on the whole outwardly Germany is quiet and enduring all her troubles with a magnanimous spirit. The police, or "Schupos," are spotlessly uniformed men and _ well equipped. Night after night they are called upon to do extra and hazardous duty, and their self-restraint is wonderful. Still, they have orders to be savage when they disperse a crowd, as no other policy will make possible the maintenance of order and the safety of the republic. The Communists at present seem to be less aggressive than some of the other groups. A keen observer says (0.8.V.): "I have been to some of their meetings only to be shocked by the signs of want, fatigue and hunger, the poor clothes, the utterly pallid faces, and the plain evidences of a desperate struggle for life, swith much resultant premature ageing." Behind all this, of course, is the terrible economic depression--crushing the life out of all. The Chancellor, Herr Bruening, bravely stands up to the ordeal before him, and there are not wanting the signs that the extremist parties are wavering in their demands and becoming weaker; while the Government keeps on compromising, "fighting against time in the forlorn hope that sooner or later there will come industrial improvement; and hoping that no untoward incident in the Polish eorridor or elsewhere ‘will set the -eountry in a blaze. The Treaty of Versailles was accepted by the Germans as the only alternative to complete starvation: yet starvation still reigns, and no one knows when it will drive the population into madness." He would be a fool indeed who denied that wherever one scans the horizon, the outlook in Germany is of the darkest. If Germany falls into chaos she will drag other nations with her, and Europe may be plunged into anarchy. Still the international horizon is not without some gleams of light.