Evening star., 1933-02-19
BY FRANK HI. SIMONDS.

La As<AANh oAVtAOANDos
w YHILE the recent dramatic
gesture of Hitler, holding
wv out the hand of German
Fascism to the Italian has
provoked wide comment in
the United States, there has been little
appreciation of the historic impica-
tions of the episode. Actually, 1t is
both a deadly threat to any world eco
nomic conference, and another and per-
haps final demonstration Of the bank
ruptcy of the League of Nations, as well
as of the whole postwar conception OF
collective action by the peoples OF the
world to prevent war. What 1t amounts
to Is an invitation from Berlin to Rome
to share in a restoration of the old
system of political alliances at mo-
ment Of general and still deepening eco
nomic depression.
If the Hitler idea finally prevails,
Europe in no long time will be divided
as it was in 1914, into two systems OF
alliance. On the one hand will stand
France; Poland and the three states OF
the little entente; on the other not
only Germany and Italy, but also even
tually Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria,
to say nothing of little Albania. These
two groups will also be separated by
irreconcilable policies-the former de-
termined to preserve the territorial de-
cisions of the peace treaties, the latter
to compel far-reaching territorial re-
vision.
For the past few years Europe has
been dominated by the military power
of France, backed by her allies and the
diplomatic force provided by French
money. This domination has taken the
form of an attempt to consolidate
Europe on the lines of 1919. On the
negative side it has been successful
since no change has taken place and
in the case of the projected Austro-
German tariff union of two years ago.
France scored a diplomatic victory of
vast proportions.
Obtained British Support.
During the long supremacy of BRAND,
French policy attempted to make the
League of Nations the machine for in
suring the realization Of the major OBJ
jective of French policy, which was to
obtain acceptance of the existing order.
And in addition to her allies, France
was able, frequently, to obtain British
support, because while the British are
not of the same mind as the French
about the preservation of the terrific
rial decisions of the treaties, they do
not want new war. And at all times
since 1919 any attempt to revise from
tiers would insure conflict.
Again and again BRAND and Herriot
before and after him, sought, by en-
ploying the League to put the collective
power of the world against any attempt
to change frontiers by force and-since
| no other way was available-this meant
to maintain the status quo In this
the French failed, for the British would
never go beyond the Locarno guarantee
of the Rhine frontiers Of the treaty of
Versailles On the other hand the
| British and American attempts to pro-
mote peace by disarmament always
failed because they left the security de-
! tail untouched.
The Manchurian affair and the fail
ure of the Disarmament Conference dis
closed the bankruptcy Of the League.
| 1t could not restrain an aggressor-a
| fact which encouraged the Germans
and the Italians in their resolution to
achieve revision, nor was 1t less shat
tering to any confidence of exposed
nations In the ability of Geneva to de-
fend them. After this double expos
ure. the League was for all present time
removed from the field Of practical in
ternational operations It was disclosed
as a theory which had not worked and
could not work in world in its con-
temporary moOd.
Mussolini Opposed League.
Italy was always against the League
from the advent of Mussolini because
In principle the League stood squarely
in the pathway of Italian aspirations.
Germany did not at the outset adopt
any such stand. The liberal and re-
publican elements, on the contrary, In
fiuenced in no small degree by British
Liberal and Labor opinion, supported
German entrance into the League and
for certain time believed that through
the League the worst of what seemed
to them the mistakes of Versailles could
be cured in accordance with the spirit
of Geneva.
The rise of nationalism in Germany,
however, along with the growing per-
ceptlon that the League could never be
anything but bulwark against treaty
revision and thus an instrument of
French policy brought about a rapid de-
cline in the German support of the
League. And the final breakdown was
preclpltated when the Disarmament
Conference failed to produce any re-
duction in the forces Of Germany's
neighborS or anything but formal in
dorsement OF the principle Of equality.
For as long a time as Hitler and
nationalism control Germany the
League must be relegated to the back
ground in all German calculations, as
1t always has been in Italian CONGO
mittantly 1t must lose most of its ap-
peal for France and her allies because,
as the Manchurian episode indicated,
it can neither mobilize physical or
military force. France will then have
to evacuate the field of Geneva which
she held for so long and with such
great incidental success
The British, who have long foreseen
this development. have for some time
been urging the creation of a big four