Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-04
ECONOMIC RUIN
FEAREDIN EUROPE.
Franco German Political Duel
for Supremacy Has 0ml-'
nous Background.
CONTINUED From First Page.>

ment. And, b reality, IN Europe at the
moment there are three political pro-
grams, the French, the German and
behind both the Soviet, each wholly
political in its detectives, each seeking
behind the cover Of economic pros
pectuSes to further the ends of ma
tional, or, in the Russian case, OF a
class, hegemony.
At the bottom the French scheme,
even Brands latest and most ambi-
tiouS conception, announced at Geneva
after it's nominal author had been de-
feated at Versailles, is nothing more
than an attempt to discover tardlly
some economic supports for the old
familiar design to preserve intact the
territorial and political situation Gre
ated by the peace treaties to the ad-
vantage of French security and inftu-
ence. BY this situation and by the
military alliances through which France
associated with herself the newly lib
Grated or largely expanded succession
states. france insured her own Sc
curity against new German attack
themselves similarly against German,
Hungarian or Russian purposes.
French Supremacy Sought.
But this arrangement, purely political
and military, and perfectly satisfactory
in a Europe at once prosperous and
peaceful, was fatally limited in con-
tinent where financial, industrial ana
commercial conditions were catastroph-
zeal. Thus more than a year ago
BRAND was driven to propose his
United States of Europe, which fore
Swallowed some organization of Europe
on the basis of cartels, customs ar
rangements and financial corporations.
But In all this the underlying design
was to fortify the political by the eco
nomic; politically and terrltorially Eu-
rope was to remain in the mold OF the
peace treaties, and France 70 commune
secure and supreme.
By contrast the German conception,
of which the recent AnSchluSS proposal
is a preliminary detail, is at bottom no
more than one more German attempt
to bring about the transformation OF
the whole situation created by the
peace treaties, to enable Germany to
escape from the consequences of a lost
war. recover her surrendered lands in
the east, end reparations payments re-
gain military parity with France and,
eventually, by setting up a Central Eu-
ropean combination of states naturally
united by economic ties, break down the
French group, associated Tor political
reasons.
Thus Austria is at once to enter the
German eCOI1OiI11C CuSGOiIlS 1LOlGASAo'
Hungary, in the nature OF things as an
agrarian state needing markets and as
a mutilated country seeking treaty re-
vision, would follow. Jugoslavia and
Rumania, although military allies OF
France, would Succumb to the inevl-
table economic attraction of the Aus
tro-German markets. CZecnoSloVakla
would thus be isolated, surrounded, con-
demned to go to Berlin for terms. The
IN would diccnIUQ
one must perceive that while the Ger
mans are employing the economic
weapon, their aim is as political as the
French. -
Soviet in Background.
AS for the Soviets, their game is I'M
concealed. Their objective is world
revolution as the prelude to the extern
sion to Europe and the world OF the
Moscow experiment. To forward this
scheme the Bolshevists may play with
nationalism in Germany or Fascism in
Italy, support disarmament proposals
at Geneva, and make special economic
bargains with capitalist nations else
where. However the means may vary,
the end sought is the same and is
political. But for the moment the So
Wet play is in the background.
Aside from the French and Germans,
the great protagonists of the two
projects Of Pan Europa and MltteI-
europa, there are various other states
with interests which not only conflict
with French and German at certain
points, but at others are radically diff
ferent. Britain, for example, is con-
cerned always with the questions of
trade and peace. Italy, as the political
rival of France, is greatly concerned
with questions Of prestige and power.
Both italy and Britain can stand to,
gether against France in military ana
naval issues, because the, present
French hegemony Is dlstasteful TO both;
But both are just as graVely concerned
over any restoration of German hege-
mony. Economically Pan Europa would
be menace to Britain, politically and
inilitarily Mitteleuropa would be
deadly threat to italy.
There remain what might be termed
the distracted neutrals. The states
like Holland, Switzerland, Belgium and
the Scandinavian countries, suffering
to a greater or less degree from the
world economic crisis, are concerned
vitality with the present European chaos.
They are equally anxious to see the
end of the French domination and to
escape the possibility of German
control
France Holds Advantage.
There, briefly, is the present Euro
mean layout. There are the forces
and factors which permanently underlie
all the varying and changing projects.
But what it is essential to perceive is
that while international discussions,
whether economic or concerning arna-
ments will always be conducted on
the high level of morals and ideals.
France and her allies on one side and
Germany and her natural associates on
the other are working for their own
politics all the time, while Italy and
Britain are trying to protect or adj
vance their own similar interest now
by backing Germany-now by support
ing France.
In this collision of French and Ger
man purposes, France has two colossal
advantages. First, her own military
strength and that of her allies; second,
her financial power, which enables her
on the one hand to SubSidize her allies
and, on the other, to exert pressure
upon Germany and her friends, which
must obtain Foreign loans and, in the
current situation, have no source eX-
cept the French. Even Italy measurably
suffers from this fact. Thus, while in
the days of the Ruhr occupation it
was perhaps exact to speak of the
French military hegemony in Europe,
today finance has taken the place OF
armies.
nevertheless, despite these great al
vantages it is no longer to be ques-
toned that the French scheme has
broken down for the simple but suf-
ficing reason that it was founded eX-
clusively upon military rather than
material bases, upon politics rather
than economics. Herself economically
a self-contained country, relatively
slightly industrialized, France is both
unable to offer a market to her agra
ria n thnn1
their industrial needs Germany, not
France is the market for Poland, Jugo-
slavia and Rumania as well as Hun
gary Even CzechOSloYakia is by The