Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-05
BY FRANK III. SIMONDS.

win cabinet in breaking of
Il relations with Soviet Russia
may easily prove one of the
most momentous events since thu
close OF the World War itself.
opens new and vast horizons in STRIFE
which are not limited TO Europe.
may have repercussions in India a!
we'll as in China. And it must be rec
ognized 10 be beginning. not an end
Despite the half-hearted opposition
of some Liberals and of the Labor
party as the official opponents of the
Baldwin cabinet, no real arguments
We're advanced against the action O
the British government. 1t was mani
testify impossible to continue a rela
tio.. which was both humiliating anC
fraught with u measure OF danger
Criticism of the action is therefore be
side the point. But it is just as patent
that, despite the satisfaction which
might result, the material advantages
could not and cannot be considerable
The fact is that Soviet Russia has
been making war upon Great Britain
and will not only continue but re
double its attacks. Today British
opinion has at last arrived at the
point of supporting the severance OF
relations, but it is not ready or willing
to go to war. And here. in the last
analysis, is the explanation of many
incoherencies in the past.
Pursues Hostile Policy.
There is no such thing as a division
in Russian opinion. and the Soviet die
tatorship has been able consistently to
pursue its policy of hostility. The
Soviet movement is in itself a crusade
against Western capitalism; its driving
force lies in the belief of its convinced
supporters that it is destined to over
throw the capitalistic system and re-
Mace that by. a dictatorship of the
proletariat. Up to 1920 it believed it
could conquer the West by arms.
After the defeat before Warsaw the
Soviet invasion was broken on the
European front.
Following the defeat before War
saw, Soviet Russia made peace at
Riga. Thus it resigned the attempt
to conquer Europe by arms, which
was clearly beyond its power. In the
following years the economic reintegra-
ton OF the various European states
and the perception by the various peo-
pies of the failure of the Soviet do
mestic regime have gradually estab-
lished the fact in Moscow that the
capitalistic regime is for the time
being impregnable upon the European
front.
Perceive True Line.
As early as 1922. when the Turks
defeated the Greeks and came storm
ing hack to Europe, the Soviets had
perceived the true line of policy.
Kemal Pasha owed to a considerable
extent to Russian arms and munitions
his victory over the Greeks, which was
by the treaty of Lausanne.
But this victory was not merely the
greatest humiliation Europe had Suf-
fered at the hands of Asia for centu-
ries, but was also a fatal blow to
European prestige in Asia.
After the Turkish episode Bolshe-
visit strategy expressed itself i'll two
policies. 1t undertook to operate in
Asia and Africa, wherever there was
native unrest against European states.
Morocco, Syria and Egypt were pre-
liminary fields. China is the present
scene of operations, and India is GER
tain to be later experiment. At the
same time Bolshevist sympathy and
support were contributed to strength
en- minorities and to encourage eX-
tremists in Europe, both politically
and otherwise.
Strike Is Example.
The best example of this double ac-
tivity was supplied by the British
general strike, precipitated on the
labor side by the extremists who clear
ly had Moscow inspiration. Then the
Soviets openly sent money to support
the strikers who were seeking to
paralyZe the whole life of Britain. In
the same way China today discloses
the characteristic operation of the
same Russian purpose. Exactly the
same strategy was used against
France in the Moroccan affair. The
Riffians were financed and the opposi.
ton in France encouraged.
While the Soviets have equal hos
tility to capitalism in all countries and
have in turn operated in Germany. in
Italy and in France, they have in the
past few years increasingly concen-
trated upon Great Britain both at
home and abroad for an obvious rea.
son. Despite all its outward strength,
the British Empire is today the most
Vulnerable of all national edifices And
lts Vulnerability arises from two differ
ent circumstances.
Real War Going On.
Within Britain there has been going
on since the close of the war a real
war between capital and labor. 1t has
been q political war. Both in the La
Dor Party and the Tory there are
many moderates, perhaps a ma iority,
who would like to arrive at compro-
mise and are resolved to keep the
struggle within the limits of the con-
stitutional machinery. But in both
parties there are extremists, the die.
hards" among the Tories, the COM
munists among the Labor elements,
whose inspiration comes from Moscow.
When Labor came to power briefly
in 1924, the Tory extremists had al
ready tried and failed to break the
Russian revolution. They had tried
during the first postwar months when
allied fleets had blockaded Russian
ports and supplied arms and munitions
TO the various anti-Soviet leaders.
They had tried and failed when they
had advocated backing Poland against
Russia in 1922 and it had been left to
France to supply the men and mum.
tons for the victory Of Warsaw.
Pursues Different Policy.
Lloyd George, on the other hand
had pursued at Genoa a policy of con.
citation. But here for the first time
there was disclosed the real spirit of
the Russians. Lloyd George had
risked his political life to get the Rus.
slams received by western Europe. but
when they came the first thing they
did was to make an alliance with Ger.
many. which doomed the conference
and later contributed to the fall OF
Lloyd George himself,
Lloyd George had acted because he
was well aware that there was q
strong and growing number Of British
voters who sympathized with the Rus
sian revolution and many more who
desired TO have peace and trade with
MOSCOW. When Ramsay Macdonald
headed a Labor Government in 1922
almost his first step was to recognize
Russia. Thereafter he undertook t
arrange commercial relations. All hi.
policy was for peace and reconcilia
ton.
But while the Russians eagerly tool
ADVANTAGE Of All concessions and over