Evening star., 1938-02-27
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.


IN THE days Of the Roman Empire spec
tators in the Coliseum were wont to
look anxiously at the Caesar when one
Of the gladiators fell. II the Emperor
put his thumbs down the smitten one was
Immediately finished of by his conqueror.
In the political arena of Europe the rep
resentatives Of the democratic powers and
the fallen hero himself-Austria- looked
with the same anxiety at n Duce.
When Chancellor Schuschnigg Of Austria
returned to Vienna with Hitler's ultimatum
to comply with the German governments
demands to Nazify Austria from within,
Schuchnigg, Anthony Eden and Yvon
Delbos looked to Mussolini-and II Duce
put thumbs down" on Austria.
Henceforth the Danubian republic will
continue tc exist in name, like Bavaria or
Prussia, and for a while will maintain an
illusory independence. But gradually the
new Austrian Nazi government will fall in
step with Berlin and there will be no per-
ceptible difference between the two coun-
tries.
Thus ended on February is a short but
sad chapter in the history OF the world:
chapter dealing with country, created
by the stupidity of the makers of the
Versailles treaty, which could not subsist
independently because her creators would
not allow her to do 80.
Emotional statesmen in Paris and Lon
don seemed excited over this inevitable
denouement. but to cool analysts the end
appears both logical and desirable.
Empires Role Was Great.
The Austro- Hungarian Empire-a ka-
leidoscopic unit composed Of people of many
races and religions-played an important
role IN Europe for centuries. It had been
decaying and dying for so years. but was
Kept intact because the diplomats of the
continent realized its importance at the
gates OF Eastern Europe A famous Eng
llsh statesman-in the days when Britain
still had statesmen and not politicians
said: IT Austria did not exist we should
nave invented It," 1t functioned as dam
against the imperialistic ambitions of Rus
sia, Germany and italy in the East.
Austria was sacrificed after the war bv
the passions and lack of understanding of
those who redrew the map of Europe. The
Ignorance Of Lloyd George, the craftiness
OF the vengeful Clemenceau and the ideal.
ism OF Woodrow Wilson contributed tn tho
partition of the Hapsburg empire which
has ended In the aggrandizement Of the
Reich.
The lght-hearted, easy-going Austrians
were quite satisfied with the new small re-
public republic with q huge heart and
q small body. Austria counts not more
than 6,500000 inhabitants, out Of which
nearly 2,o00. 900 are concentrated in Vienna
AS model they had Belgium, an eouallv
small state. Independent and free as any
OF the major nations. and for a while they
endeavored to emulate the northern de-
mocracy. But the powers which created
the new state played for exclusive spheres
OF lnnuence in an attempt to gain a foot
nolo IN Vienna. with the result that the
young republics development was arrested
from the beginning. Austria might have
maoe history had it been permitted to
do so.
Mussolini Committed Error.
france was the first to demand an ex-
elusive zone of influence; it bolstered her
security scheme against Germany. italy
followed shortly afterwards and in 1881
Germany endeavored for the first time to
achieve union in the belief that two weak
brothers could walk better if they supported
each other. The Little Entente exercised
Its tyranny over the Vienna government
with the stubbornness Of school bully. Aus
trian statesmen jumped from one camp into
another in the effort to maintain the inde-
pendence Of new Austria. Finally. the
rising power Of Hitler in Germany and the
lnenectual reassurances from Geneva led
them to the strong man of Europe. Benito
Mussolini. He took them under his wing
at once and showed. for q while. that he
meant to maintain Austria's independence
as q bulwark against the increasing Ger
man power. But Mussolini committed a
capital error, too. He allowed his hench-
men to destroy the strongest group in Aus
tria which stood for the country's inde-
pendence-the Socialists.
AAC ocAAA-1tomc dAB WAS 1OrReQ IN the
fall Of 1886. This writer was in Rome dur
ing the weeks Of its preparation. Even at
that time, though the details were not clear
In the minds of the two dictators, there were
ample indications that Austria would form
part Of the bargain.
Those near to God" in Rome indicated
that the axis would be a strong one; that
1t would be based on q division of q large
zone Of influence, each Of the two partners
playing what they believed to be their his
toric role; that the Reich would Ger
mamie the Danubian Basin, while Italy
would be given every conceivable support
to recreate the old Roman Empire in the
Mediterranean. Austria as the pivotal
point, the gateway to Southeastern Europe,
had to be sacrificed to Hitler.
Duce Gained Starhemberg.
Mussolini proceeded in Machiavellian
fashion with his betrayal Of the Danubian
republic. When Chancellor Schuschnigg
decided to unload II Duce's fair-haired boy.
Prince Won Starhemberg, the youthful
aristocrat rushed to Rome for help. Mus
solini was paternal; he urged him not to
stir up trouble. when he finally returned
to Vienna he found his Heimwehr dis
banded.
Mussolini had his momentous conver-
sation with Hitler at Berchtesgaden some
eight weeks ago. The two dictators, un-