Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1938-12-29
International
News Review
BY GEORG sTRANDvOLD

When a year is ebbing out, there
is a tendency to review its events
in order to sum up the impression it
leaves with one, and in the richly in
teresting international field the ten
dency becomes a temptation to 60
into details; that is, obviously, i'm
possible here, but one may attempt
to point out some of the main cur
rents of 1888, keeping in mind that
they are forerunners of what is to
happen during 1889, and after.
An outstanding feature of the pass
ing year was the tremendous arma-
ments increase in progress in all major
countries; seemingly energetic efforts
were made to preserve peace but at
the same time preparations for war
were made on a scale never before
witnessed in history.
Austrian Coup.
Early in February rumblings were
heard of some kind of upheaval when
Hitler reorganized the general staff
of the German army and told Kurt
Schuschnigg, chancellor of Austria,
what he was to do; as the chancellor
was inclined to think that Austrian
affairs were to be determined by an
Austrian government and not by an
outside dictator, he hesitated-with
the result that Hitler occupied, an
nexed and obliterated Austria. Great
powers which had undertaken to
guarantee the security of the Austrian
republic, let the destruction take
place without uttering single effec-
tive protest.
Czech Tragedy.
About seven months afterward a
similar thing happened when Hitler
demanded certain parts of Czecho-
slovakia surrendered to Germany and
threatened war if he didn't get what
he wanted; the immediate result was
that Europe was brought closer to
the brink of general war than at
any time since 1918, and it was
averted only because the prime min
listers of democratic nations like Great
Britain and France abjectly gave in:
Czechoslovakia was dismembered, and
the strength of two dictators, Hitler
and Mussolini, consequently became
even more formidable than before.
When Chamberlain and Daladier,
premiers of Great Britain and France,
INDUCED in humiliating genuflexions
before the shrine of the German and
the Roman dictatorship, they ex-
cused the move by declaring that
what was wanted, was a four-power
agreement to maintain peace, and that
friendly cooperation between democ-
racy and dictatorship was necessary
to achieve this. But at the same
time democrats as well as dictators
pushed forward with all possible
haste those very ornaments which
must of necessity result in destroy
ing that peace about which great
power diplomats are fond of mouth
ing.
Thus, the seemingly insincere eff
forts to prepare peace; the far more
sincere preparations for breaking that
peace, and the annexation of Austria
as well as the mutilatiOn of CZechO-
slovakia were among the noteworthy
events of year-among those, too,
which will be projected into the
future.
Agreements.
Hand in hand with the socalled
peace efforts and with the ornaments
intensification went series of con-
ferences and international agree
ments; Hitler was Museums guest
at Rome, the royal couple of Great
Britain were guests in Paris, Mus
solini, Chamberlain and Daladier
were conference guests of Hitler at
Berchtesgaden.
An Anglo-Italian agreement of
friendship was one result of some
of the negotiations; another was the