Evening star., 1934-11-11
EUROPE FACES GERMANY
OR MITTEL EUROPALATER
Fall of Hitler Seen as Only Other Alter.
native as Nazis Continue De.
signs on Austria.

might have the support of Hungary,
but that would inevitably send the
Czechs into a German afflliation and
persuade the Germans themselves to
make favorable terms with Benes.
The kind of war that Is now pre-
pairing in the Danubian Basin, then,
is conflict which Italy could not
hope to win save as she were backed to
the limit by France with money and
munitions and further aided by a
French attack upon Germany through
the Rhineland In such an attack,
France would hardly be supported by
Britain, although If attacked by the
Germans she could count on British
aid. Finally-and of no negligible i'm
portance-the domestic political situa-
ton in France is none too bright.
What exists at the moment in Eu-
rope is sort of truce due to the fact
that Germany is not yet ready to
back her purposes by arms and is
eager to have the Saar question set
tied in her favor. BY January. when
the plebiscite is over. Franco German
relations may become acute or there
may be an agreement to dispose of
this thorny issue. If there is an
agreement, then Germany will at once
renew her offensive in Austria and
the dispute with Italy will come to q
head.
One Chance to Escape.
War between Italy and Germany
can in the END be avoided only if
Italy accepts the union of Austria
with the Reich as inevitable. The
only qualification to this settlement
and it is obviously considerable one
is that there shall be no domestic
crisis of regime in Germany. OF
course, if Hitler should disappear or
there should be civil war, then Ger
many would be paralyzed. But do
mestic upheaval in France, on the
other hand, would play into the Ger
man plans.
The Nazi dictatorship in Germany
has made up its mind to create a
new political and economic empire in
Central Europe. 1t has decided that
there alone exists a chance for eco
nomic prosperity for the Reich, since
colonies are unattainable. 1t has made
a truce with Poland, it is prepared
to make a final settlement with the
French and it is ready to make peace
for the present, at least, with Italy.
But it will only make peace with
France and Italy as it is permitted to
take Austria and organize Central
Europe.
Meantime, Hitler is arming at top
speed. It,is for him race between
domestic unrest and foreign war.
During the next year he will, II he
can, keep the peace because he needs
that time for armament. But If
before the year 1885 is out the pres
sure imposed by domestic economic
conditions becomes intolerable. he will
then resort to war. But peace will
obviously be a truce and war always
possibility.
Ambitious Plans.
That is the basic face in the situa-
ton l6 years after the armiStice. The
national Socialist regime in the Reich
has adopted its program of policy,
it is preparing its means to carry
out that program. 1t will not resign
its plans, but it is prepared to make
peace with the French and the Ital-
ians as it has with the Poles on
terms which leave the frontiers of
those countries undisturbed, but will
destroy all their systems of alliances
in Central Europe and in the end
create a German political and eco
nomic empire extending from Ham
burg to Constantinople
The immediate question is whether
the French, Italians and British are
ready to fight now to prevent the
creation of such an empire or prefer
to preserve the present tenuous peace
waiting to see what may happen in
the future. That decision will have
to be made before long. probably in
the coming year. 1t may have to be
made in January at the time of
the Saar plebiscite.
War is mot then either inevitable
nor necessarily likely to break out
soon. But no peace in Europe can be
other than temporary until the four
great powers-Britain, France, Italy
and the Soviets-make up their minds
whether to wage war of prevention
against Germany now before she is
fully armed or permit her to arm and
proceed with her plans, trusting that
at least for long time she will be so
occupied with her own Mitteleuropa
program as to have no temptation to
attack them. Then, the question
arises, will the Reich be content with
the Hamburg and Constantinople
frontiers? If not there will be a far
more imposing enemy to cope with
then Hitler's present force.
(Copyright 1934D