The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1938-09-29
! COMMENT ON WORLD
EVENTS


Communism and short-sighted, vim
dictive craftsmanship of the Great
Powers must take large share of the
responsibility for the rise and triumph
of Hitlerism and the consequent sorry
state of the world today, in the opinion
of European organized labor. Exam
ination of history supports this as
sertion.
First for the craftsmanship. The
victorious Allied Powers, at the end
of the World War, were ruled by de-
sire for revenge on Germany. Instead
of granting generous terms, to encour-
age and strengthen the democratic
elements which had overthrown the
kaiser's government, they imposed
terms sure to hamper German econ
omic and social progress at every turn.
Under the leadership Of the revenge
full Clemenceau, who wanted Ger
many punished as though she was a
uniquely sinful nation and France a
sinless martyr land" the Statesmen"
of the Allied Powers put impossible
economic and financial burdens on the
German republic, helping to keep the
Germans in poverty and misery and
directly encouraging the growth of the
forces that later were to destroy the
republic and bring the present despotic
regime.
X X X
In the years that the German re-
public, first under the presidency of
the saddle maker Ebert and later un-
der General Hindenburg, struggled to
exist, it was given too little help and
encouragement by the European de-
mocracies. While the republic sought
to promote democratic principles
among a people largely unused to
them, the economic condition of the
masses grew steadily worse.
Instead of seeking an early restor-
alton of trade with Germany, the de-
mocracies hampered and throttled it,
thereby increasing the distress Of the
German masses. They continued to
insist on staggering indemnities, until
forced by the logic of events to modify
their demands. They broke disarm-
ament clauses of the Treaty of Ver-
sailles, thereby starting the world on
a disastrous armament race.
X X X
The net result of the policy of the
democracies, combined with the ruin
Gus effects of the war, was to increase
economic distress in Germany, leading
inevitably to the growth of Com
munism and little later, Nazism,
with the triumph of Adolf Hitler.
Strongly aided and abetted by Com
munist Russia, German Communism
hourished and aimed at dictatorial rule.
Nazism sprang up to counteract it.
The Communists and Social Democrats
(these last the chief support of de-
were strong enough to have
prevented the Nazi victory, but the
Communists warred almost as bitterly
on the Social Democrats as they did
on the Nazis. Let H. H. Elvin of the
British Trades Union Congress tell
what happened:
"In the tragic days of 1912, Chan
cellor Bruning fought desperately to
preserve democracy. The German
Communists played fatal role. They
chose to be destiny's agent by voting
with the Nazis in the Reich to paralyze
the forces Of the government because
they believed themselves to be the or
dained beneficiaries of chaos. Instead
of there being Communist success
to a breakdown of democracy, Fas-
cism ruled"
X X X
The lesson of Europe is that re-
venge, as typified by postwar states
and dictatorship, as typified
by Communism, do not pay.
ND ~ u - 1 -