New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-18
The Tyranny of Fear

Lord Robert Cecils recent suggestion
to the effect that if Germany once got
firmly established in Russia she could
carry on the war for an indefinite period
is not without force; the danger of such
contingency is clear enough. But the
difficulty in the way of this ambitious
programme was unconscously revealed
by the German officer who explained the
seizure of Kiev by saying that the att
tude Of the inhabitants toward the in
vaders threatened another Sicilian YES
pers. In other words, tyranny is both
based upon fear and limited by fear. A
despotism tempered by assassination--to
use the phrase SO often applied to the
Russia of the Czars-is a perpetual
menace to the despot.
The Sicilian Vespers-a rising of the
Sicilans against the French rulers Of
the island at the vesper hour on Easter
Monday, 1282--is a single illustration Of
the ease with which a tyranny grown
insupportable may be overthrown. His
tory is full of the sudden crumblng of
empires much more firmly established
than any German empire in Russia is
likely to be. Napoleon's experiences are
too near our own time to be forgotten.
All the kingdoms he established under
kings of his own choosing dissolved in
the hour Of. his extremity. His invasion
of Spain is regarded by many historians
as the chief error of his career, since he
outraged the national pride of the Span
iards and had to divert to the task of
keeping Joseph Bonaparte on the throne
forces which were soon to be greatly
needed elsewhere, to say nothing of the
blow which Wellington administered to
his prestige.
There is a closer parallel to the case
or Germany, however, in Roman impe-
rlalism after the destruction of Carthage
and Corinth. 1t may have been benefit
to the world on the whole that Rome
should triumph. But the subject peo-
pies suffered heavily. They were plum
dered much as the Begians have been
plundered. No poncm ct circenses
policy could diminish the bitter hostility
of those who had become the slaves of
Imperial masters. GAS many enemies as
slaves was a common saying. Scipio
Africanus found in Spain as Napoleon
was to find, that the spirit of resistance
could not be broken. The inhabitants of
Numantia burned the town and killed
themselves rather than fall into his
hands.
1t was centuries, of course, before the
Roman Empire was shattered. But the
great domain of Charlemagnc, the HOLY
Roman Empire of later day, broke to
pieces when he died From the time of
Sulelman the Magnificent until Sobieski
saved Vienna the Turks were almost as
deadly peril to Western civilization as
the Germans now are; but they too went
the way of all tyrannics. There is no
need to multiply examples. 1t took but
a simple peasant maid to save France
from the English and the Burgundans.
thousand men under Garibaldi toppled
over Bomba and his two Siciies.
Germany can expect no long tenure of
power over peoples that detest her rule
Russia will hardly remain inert very
long. Rumania has a bitter reckoning
to make. The impending dissolution of
the Hapsburg monarchy will loose forces
of disorder with which it will be difficult
to cope. The Ukraine, Poland, Lthua-
nia-all are clements of weakness in the
imperial scheme. The attempted domi-
nation of the Baltic may be the last
straw neutral Sweden can bear Rule
by fear breeds hatred which in time
brings fear to the ruler Germany is
not supernation, to escape the COM
mon LOT