Evening star., 1931-12-06
STIRRING SOCIAL CHANGES
ARE IMMINENT In GERMANY
People Flocking to Hitler Standard Be-
cause Its Disruption of Present
Order Seems Certain.

The tremendously exciting new fact
such as I have carefully observed ii
during my last visit, is that while all
the parties of the nation have some
distant common hereditary link, there
is today in Germany only one idea
which is common to all: The idea that
the old social order is going to die
that it is dead, and that something
new must be built. And this is the
main reason back of Hitler's successes
Millions of men have voted for him
not because they think he is or may
become a real leader but simply because
he says to the Germans: All the past
must be destroyed I will guide you to
q new world
have seen and talked with a young
German writer whose essays are a bril-
liant proof of his critical mind, and who
had just returned from the last cleo
toral battles in HeSse. He told nc:
Yes, you are right. Hitler is probably
just as much of demagogue as your
Mussolini and nothing more; but gave
my vote to his candidates, not because
will ever believe in him, but because
his movement may become sort Of an
earthquake; perhaps out of the ruins
q new Germany will emerge"
Despair. pessimism, political unripe-
ness? A little Of all that; but, above all,
this: The sensation that Russia is not
so far from present Germany. Not that
Bolshevik horrors are or seem in store
for Germany. If they are going to have
revolution in Germany 1t will be a
beautifully orderly revolution, preceded
and followed by Schupes with their
brilliant uniforms.
The sensation I constantly felt when
in Germany, that the atmosphere re-
minded me of Russia, was based only on
two facts: First, that virtually nobody
believes any longer in the sanction of
the individualistic principles of the
nineteenth century
AS a proof of this I may quote one
on the most important conservative
newspapers which admitted few days
ago: I'VE cannot deny that in a poll
tical sense as In a scientific sense half
the Germans are today socialistic even
when they do not know it."
The second fact is that nobody be-
lieveS any longer that the present So
ciety can last as it is now constituted
Restrictions Imposed.
How could they believe this (since
Germany lacks the solid historical
when one sees that out of 10 men you
meet on the street are UNEMPLOYED; +;
that the safest bank today may be
bankrupt tomorrow, and that the pres
ent Chancellor, DR.. Heinrich Bruening
"a man morally respected by every
pody-has imposed upon his country
men q system of restrictions and taxa
tons which leaves SO little scope for
private initiative.
Nothing strange that under such con-
dttions many people, even among them
many who scorned and loathed Hitler
until Yesterday, are now beginning to
say: We'll, let us try his remedies. After
all, they can be no worse" Even less
strange that, under such psychological
conditions. one detects In the German
air smell Of revolution or at least of
redical violent changes.
1t Is true that Chancellor Bruening
mas reshaped his cabinet, giving the
ministry of the interior to Gen. Groe-
ner, who is also the minister for the
national defense. Groener is one of the
rare PruSsian generals with deep re-
publican convictions. And the fact that
he now keeps in his hands the two
portfolios leaves at his immediate dis
posal, for the protection of the Rebuff
lican regime, splendidly selected army
of 100000 men-10o, 900 of them being
the Reichswehr and 10000 being
Schupos, Germanys armed security po-
lice. But even granted that no racist
and milttaristic elements are at work
inside the Reichswehr for a treason
against the republic, history tells us
that the most efficient material forces
are of little help when the institutions
are not surrounded by the confidence
Of the nation.
We are confronted today in Germany
Continued on Fourth Page.)