Evening star., 1920-04-04


~ German revolution necessarily
n involves the discussion. first
of the German upheaval itself
and, second, of it's bearing upon the
rest of the world. Since it is equally
essential to perceive what the revo-
luton actually is. and what its effect
economically, politically and mill
| tarily will be upon the immediate
| neighbors OF Germany and upon the
whole world
But. despite the great flood of dis
patches which have come out of Ger
many since the stroke of Kapp, it is
not easy to arrive at any clear no.
ton not merely of the progress, but
of the meaning of events. The rea-
son lies in the fact that the world
| IS under the shadow of the very real
and active apprehension, the twin
bugbears of PrussianiSm and of boil
shevism. Whether Germany goes vio-
lently radical or vehemently reac
tionary, the danger to the rest of the
| world will remain considerable. and.
since bolshevism is the thunder cloud
of the present hour, the world is
watching the German affair with very
keen dread that what has occurred in
Russia may happen in Germany.
In October. 1918. there. were NUT
terings, which daily grew more un
| mistakable. Ludendorff informed the
government that military victory was
| impossible and that military conquest
was within the realm of immediate
probability. He called upon the civil
government to open negotiations with
i the pace of these negotiations by
sending trusted lieutenant to inform
the politicians of the gravity of the
! crisis.
First Change After Armistice.
But the politicians were at first
paralyzed by the disclosure of the true
military situation. While they tenn
porized Bulgaria and Turkey sur
rendered. Austria crumbled and the
Foch campaign grew hourly more
/ threatening. At last a change in gov
| ernment was achieved. Prince Max OF
Baden undertook to direct affairs and
| his first step was to propose an ar
| mistice, appealing to President VII
son and subscribing to the fourteen
! points. So far this coincided with Lu-
! dendorff's idea of correct policy: and
| for the moment q Prince Max and Luz
dendorff were agreed that while
! making peace proposals. the German
government should retain the deter
| mination to continue the struggle II
unfayorable terms were proposed.
Unfavorable terms were proposed
They included an unmistakable mint
that the President would not con-
slider negotiations with the oIo
gang" and they more than limited at
a complete disarmament OF Germany
ar.nistice At this point Ludendorn
broke with Prince Max. He proposed
! thar the war should be fought out,
and issued an order to the army stat-
; ing that the peace proposals OF tne
President were unsatisfactory 10 the
army
This was in the fourth week OF &c
=, foher- and at the moment when the
! German militar-- collapse was plaihi!
. close at hand. The result was ina.
| the cjvi! government. Prince Max. ths
:-aissr agreeing. turned on LudendorH
| ouJ h.. was dismissed. Neither the
civil government nor the country d,
| large was willing to run any more
risEs il, the matter OF hghtihs. a,o
Ju6ecdorsl.s insolent appeal 10 me
arc,v was recognized as sure 10 oe
seized ,ioon by the allies as DEM
! ons:rati:,a OF the fact that the Ger
| o.o~s .ra-e no. seriously seeking
| nea.>o aod that the old military gang
yvrs il, control. 60,
The passing of Ludendorn was ioi-
fkaiscr OF all sorts of liberal REFORMS.
| a great show of democratization was
made and the President was satisneo
that the moment lad arrived " ttdn:
nit the German proposal lot An arm
st!cc to our associates among .ne
+iors 81 war, But meantime total
" ,liffereGt movement was stirring IN
Earn.any-a real revolution-a true
rising of aenuinely radical elements
was on foot and outbreaks all Over
the nation and particularly among the
sailors began TO suggest that .he rus
sia.. example was to be followed ana
fhat The so-called Spartacist emuiators
! rs ,;,a ,,olsbcy lists were to gain control
Task for New Regime.
| I, .ris situation the kaiser fled the
| countrv having been more or less
| foTcibiy prevailed upon TO abdlcate'
.,..I his SON and heir fed by another
rnute Royalty. the emperor and all
| the kings. kiaglets and minor princes
;no,1 wins; and a new government was
formed, which was in name ana ap-
ne,rauce not only democratic, but
even soc;a.:stic Upon this govern
ment devoived the heavy task OF max
ing peace with victorious enemy
and at the same time restoring order
in disturbed nation. SucE was the
genesis of the Ebert regime and OF
the Rauer chancellorship. The move
ment which produced it is described
| in German accounts, as the pourgeois
revolution.
Bur in reality it was hardly a revo-
,ution at all. What had occurred was
| that theold regime had voluntarily
handed over the power to that por-
| ton of the socialist party, the ma
| iority, which had from the beglnnins
Of the war supported the war and
stood Loyalty behind the militarist
and junker elements. To this MILL
| tarist and junker group it became
! clear that for the moment 1t was
necessary to retire. or to seem to re-
tire. Moreover. themass of the Ger
man nation believed that this more
or less sham reform would take in
the allies and procure advantageous
peace terms, while it was similarly
calculated that the extremist revolu-
! tion which the minority socialists
were precipitating could more easily
be suppressed by socialist than by a
reactionary government.
What followed is obscure in detail
| but unmistakable in its totality. The
ma jority socialists. coming t6 power,
promptly assigned to the old and re-
dictionary elements the task of sup
pressing the real revolution and the
old military gang did suppress it with
a cruelty and violence recalling the
German procedure in invaded regions
| in the first days of the war. Masses
| of revolutionaries were machine
eunned Leaders like Liebknecht and
Rosa Luxembourg were assassinated
HAWAIIAN EVEN