Evening star., 1932-05-22
BY PAUL SCOTT MoWRER.

~ ARIS.7-With the gradual des-
perate development Of the eco
nomic depression, strange
L sounding word has begun to be
heard more and more frequently
in nearly every country OF Europe.
This word is autarchy.
1t means complete control Of ma
tons economic and financial self-suf-
ficiency raised to the highest possible
degree. 1t implies strong revolt
against what is assumed to be disor-
derly and uncomfortable system under
which most countries have been living.
It has no special political implications.
| 1t is equally sympathetic to Communism
and Fascism, though it is diametrically
opposed to the old laissez faire econom-
les and competitive democratic liberal
ism.
Russia has it already. Italy has it to
some extent. Germany seems strongly
to aspire to it. Various smaller coun-
tries, virtually bankrupt, have been
driven to it and various larger coun-
| tries, by series of measures tending
toward economic isolation, are obviously
drifting to 1t.
The first and perhaps the most
natural assumption is that the depres-
sion will presently end by series OF
RTdQudl anu AAAPNA NSPbAOA
proyements and that within relatively
short time the economic life of the
world will get back to normal" that is,
to something similar to what existed in
the last 10 years. This was a vast in
terdependent system based on interna-
tional credit and international trade on
such scale as had heretofore been un-
known and unconceived.
In this case, except for possibly Rus
sia and Italy, autarchy is likely soon to
be forgotten. Doubtless most leaders in
most countries believe that this is what
is going to happen.
Others, however are not SO sure. The
depression, they say, is unprecedented
and hence it is inconceivable that it
should simply pass away unnoticed, SO
to speak, without leaving any perma-
nent effect on the minds and actions Of
the peoples Old liberalism, they pre-
dict represented in international life
by the so-called most-favored-natio
clause in commercial treaties, is ended.
We are drifting, they venture to assert,
toward a new order wherein the nations,
organized nationally, will trade with
one another on a national basis under a
series of nation -to-nation treaties Speci-
fying in advance exactly how much and
what kind of goods and at what price
each will take from each in any given
year.
By some this alleged new order is
spoken of as the "end of capitalism"
BY others, however. it is referred to as
merely new sort of capitalism, which
would be adopted by each country in
accordance with its own national genius,
taking the form of faScism in some
cases, Socialism in other cases and in
still others something between the two.
A brief review of the present status of
the depression as it affects interna-
tional life shows plainly enough where
the exponents of autarchy are getting
their ideas.
Nationalism Apparent Everywhere.
The world in 1820-30, it is explained.
was international, economically and
financially. Peoples generally did not
understand this, yet it was so. The de-
velopment Of the depression obliged the
peoples to realize they were suffering
| from situations outside their control,
situations centering In foreign lands
They resented this. Instead of interna-
| tional measures based on international
compromises, which. experts declare,
ere alone appropriate to this particu-
lar crisis, the peoples, under the In
fiuence Of exasperated nationalism, de-
I'manded OF their politicians and quickly
got series Of national measures whose
tendency was to break economic and
financial relations with other coun-
tries