Imperial Valley press., 1914-09-02
WHY SOCIALISTS DID
NOT STOP THE WAR


and elsewhere up to the very hours
when war was declared by Germany,
: Franco, England and Russia, many in
: geniors idealists who really believed
that the great Socialist parties in
Germany and France would make a
general war impossible. For them, the
stupendous, almost inconceivable, ka-
leidoscopic events of the last few days
before the commencement of hostilities
provided a rude awakening.
Since the days of 1870, it is no
exaggeration to say, never was there
q moment when France and Germany
were less desirous of war than at this
time. In Germany, at any rate, it was
not TIE Social Democrats alone who
opposed war; every political party
represented in the reichstag favored
reaca.
The same thing was true of the
Socialists in the French chamber of
deputies. What then, was the cause
for The utter impotence of the Social
lists, for the collapse of their influence
under circumstances which one would
have thought most favorable for its
exercise? The explanation, so far as
the German Socialists are concerned.
is comparatively simple.
At the last moment, when Germany
was {. seething cauldron of excitment
and the whole nation was in fer
ment, the Socialists, and every othes
political party as WE'LL indeed the gov
ernment itself were swept completely
off their feet by the military party.
From the moment it became known
in Germany that Russia was mobiliz-
ing, not against Austria Hungary
alone but on the German frontier as
WELL the whole control of German
policy passed into military hands. The
Socialists no more than other political
parties and even the government were
powerless. The chancellor and the
foreign Office were inipotent. Still
, less was there time or opportunity for
the Germany public to exercise it's in
fluence. The Socialists were opposed
to war but they could do nothing
against the all-powerful military
party.
All that the public was told was
that Germany had been tricked by
Russia, that while the Kaiser was still
intervening at Vienna to prevent war,
at the Cars request, the Russian gov
ernment was hurrying on it's mobiliza-
tion with the intent of attacking Ger
many before its own defenses were
ready.
Against this even the Social Demo
Gratis were helpless. They themselves
had no other information on which to
base their judgment and such is the
German hatred for the reactionary,
autocratic Czardom, that if Russia
were determined to attcck Germany.
there was not Social Democrat in
the country who was not only willing
for war but anxious to take up arms
himself, at once. Against the Aus
trian ultimatum to Servia, the Social
lists had protested from the start. And
when Austria declared war, the Social
lists had held crowded meetings of
protest in every German city and town
but when it was Russia menacing the
peace of Europe that was a different
matter.
There was no time for the Social
lists TO think or to test evidence. In
their eyes it was not dynasty or q
form of government that was threat
oned but their very civilization itself.
Russia, in the eyes of the Germans,
including the Socialists, is a rampant
barbarism, ready at all times to sweep
over the borders and destroy the cul-
ture they have built up
On the morning of that fateful
meeting of the reichstag, in which
Herr Won Bethmann-H Hollweg asked
for supplies to carry on the war and
announced the German invasion of Bel
gium, meeting of the central com
mittee of the Socialists was held tc
discuss the attitude of the party
Three-quarters of the committee voteC
in favor of accepting the demand,
without opposition and in the after
noon the supplies were voted withou
. q dissenting Socialist vote.