Evening star., 1925-10-04
THE GERMAN PROBLEM
BY FRANK II. STWONDS.

No aspect OF the present pact ne
Cotiations, which are TO cuminate in
a conference in Locarno this week
is more interesting than that sup
piled by the obvious Russian maneu-
vers to prevent both the consumma-
tion Of the pact and the entrance Of
Germany into the league. This Rus
sian effort has now led to the very
striking gestures of Tchitcherin. ma s.
ter of Soviet foreign policy. in tho
Polish capital.
What the bOlsheviSts are up to Is
clear. Germany is divided into two
schools. the Fasteners and tho west
erners. The fasteners. largely com
! posed Of the nationalisis, The junkers.
/ the reactionaries. look forward 10
! some form of political alignment with
Russia. which would have twofold
! character In the first place /, would
/ be ha sed upon common policy to
| arrive ~ new partition of Pola nd.
| In the second place II would seek to
| give Germany some support as an al
! ly of the great Russian state. whereas
| now. If she enters the league. she
must for a time stat alone amidst
/ the nations which defeated her In the
/ war.
! The wesferners. on the contrary.
! who include both the industrials and
| the liberals. advocate for Germany
/ policy of cooperation with western
nations. the making Of modus Vi
| vendi with France. followed II not by
! reconciliation. at least by some form
| Of inevitable economic cooperation.
! The western policy aims a obtaining
| loans from Britain and the United
| States and recognizes that this end
! cannot he attained unless there IL n
| end Of the ever-presen menace Of a
| new Fra nco-German war.
!
! Again the westerners see quite
| clearly that the first important prob
| lem for Germany is To clear her soil
Of armies of occupation and they
| argue this end IL TO he reached only
| by creating state of tranquility in
! the west by accepting the Dawes
! plan and living up 10 It. and by max
! ing a guara ntee pact which will sat
! isfy French anXieties as to security.
| Broadly speaking. the westerners rec
! osnize the facts in Germs situa
! ton. her present powerless condition
! and the hopeleSsness of any hostile a
! titude and course In the fare NJ her
! con1uerers.
The treaty OF Rapallo. made during
the Genoa conference three wears ago
| represented the temporary triumph
) of the fasteners. II was treaty NJ
! alliance with Soviet Russia. the extent
| of which remains unknown. This
| treaty wrecked the Genoa conference
! left Germany isolated and was one NJ
! the factors which contributed 10 the
| later occupation of the Ruhr. Ii wa
, in real lity a def1a nee of Great Britain
and il blocked all LLOYD George ef
forte 70 bring about European pacifcs
| ton.
| The occupation Of the Ruhr, how
| ever. clearly demonstrated 10 most
rea soma BILE Germans the futility Of ar
| intransigea Mt policy and in due course
of time moderate counsels prevailed
! The MarN-Stresema cabinet made
the London agreement which accepted
the Da ives plan and the Luther -Strese
| mann cabinet not only performed un
der the contract faithfully. but in al
| ways sought to bring about under
standing with the west and in due
course of time entered the road o.
! security negotia tions.
Russia. naturally. viewed all thi.
orientation of Germany with appre
hension and disa pproha tiOn. for 1
tended to leave Russia completed,
isolated. Thus by an odd comhina tior
of cirCumsta noes yoI have had the re
actionaries in Germa ny and the revo
lutiOnaries In Russia working han IL
md to defeat the pact arrangement
and in reality the battle has been he
tween those Germans who IA vor RI,
, Russian combination and those whs
advocate British associatio for theil
country.
! As events moved unmista ka hIy