The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1918-08-22
Letters from the People !, q
Germany Lacks the Basis of
. Democracy


We reached these conclusions in a
previous article, and at the same time
observed some of the outstanding
causes which brought about the re
tardation. We traced very broadly
the steps by which succession Of
forceful Prussian kings overcame To-
cal iealousies and built up strong,
centralized state in Germany.
This was necessary work, this CEN
Trailing process, but it came too late.
France and England had gone thru a
similar process in the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries, and while. Ger
many was laboriously trying to catch
up, they were rapidly stepping for
ward into new stages in their develop
ment. They explored and exploited
new continents and grew rich on the
commerce; they built up great coloni-
al empires; they applied steam-power
to machinery thus increasing many
times their productive power, and null
tiplying their population. England,
especially, had grown great. She con-
trolled a large portion of the earth,
was mistress Of the seas and led all
lands in riches and industry.
But this stage in political develop
ment brought into prominence new
class of citizens, the bourgeoisie, the
commercial or middle class. They
owed their prosperity very largely to
the strong, stable government under
which they lived. The ST by spec
ial legislation had .fostered the com
mercial classes. They were in large
part the product of political absolut-
ism. 1t was not long, however, before
they began to realize their import
ance and their power. If the country
was rich and prosperous, they argued,
it was they who made it so. They
chafed under despotism and demanded
a share in the government. During
the seventeenth century they united
with the small land owners and
crushed absolutism in England. A
century and half later the bourgeoi-
sic in France in the violent outburst
of the French Revolution overthrow
the very citadel of despotism and de-
vine right theory. Thus these states
passed from one necessary stage in
their development for another, from
the rule of an absolute monarch to
government by the ablest members Of
the state, the propertied classes.
But Germany, meanwhile, was lag
ging far behind. The Thirty Years
War, as we have seen, left her desc
late. She had no internal trade, she
did not share in the rich commerce of
the new world. Her famous CONNER
cial towns declined. The consequences
was she developed no strong, self
assertive middle class to stand as a
bulwark against absolutism. The
commercial class that has developed
in recent years in Germany has rath-
er joined forces with absolutisn. The
reason is clear. France and England
| were first welded into great national
states and then took on commercial
prosperity after absolutism had done
it's work. In Germany the delayed
development made absolutism real
force during the period when German
commerce was developing.
This striking difference in the his
tory Of German development and that
of the more western states of Europe
is of utmost Importance in under
standing present conditions in the Cen
trail powers, and the conditions to be
met in the world reorganization that
| is to follow the war. Germany has
yet to pass thru her French Revolu-
ton. She has not yet had a bourgeoi-
sic government such as has existed
in France, England and America for
the past century or more. She is con-
sequently without the training for
democracy that the other states have
had. She may, at the conclusion OF
this war, set up middle-class gov
eminent, just as the more advanced
states are ready to leave it for full
er democracy Of the workers OF all
classes and thus be still one stage
behind the procession, or it is barely
| possible that she will be able to skip
one stage in her development and go
over directly to thoro-going democ-
racy. This much is clear that in deal
ing with Germany and the German
people in the war and after it we must
bear in mind that they are one stage
behind the rest of us in world pro-
gress. This will help US to make
fairer and saner conclusions.