Evening star., 1939-04-28

know the reason for this frightful
outcome Of the great war.
First 1t was greed for spoils. That
which is seldom OF value in the life
of the individual could, they be-
lieved. be enlarged millionfold and
be represented to mankind as useful
experiment. If large nations are
plundered and the utmost squeezed
out of them it will then be possible
to live a life of carefree idleness.
Such was the opinion OF these eco
nomic dilettantes.
To that end: One of the states
themselves had to be dismembered.
Germany had to be deprived of her
colonial possessions although they
were without any value to the world
democracies: the most important
district yielding raw materials had
been invaded and. if necessary,
placed under the influence of that
Democratic ill-treatment of nations
and individuals had to be prevented
from ever recovering. let alone rising
against their oppressors; thus was
concocted the devilish plan to bur-
dent generations with the curse Of
those dictates. For so, 10, or 100
years. Germany was to pay sums
so exorbitant that the question of
how they were actually to be raised
could but remain a mystery to all
concerned. 1t would have been alb
solutely impossible to raise such
sums in gold, foreign currency or by
way of regular payments in kind
without the blinded collectors of this
tribute perishing as we'll. AS mat
ter of fact, these Democratic peace
dictators thoroughly destroyed world
economy with their Versailles mad
ness.
Senseless Dismemberment.
Their senseless dismemberment
of peoples and states led to the de-
struction of common production and
trade interests which had become
well established in the course of
hundreds of years. thus once more
enforcing increased development OF
autarchic tendencies and, thus, ex-
tinction of general conditions OF
world economy which had hitherto
existed.
When 20 years ago I signed my
name in the book of political life as
the seventh member of the then
German Workers party at Munich, I
noticed signs of that decay becom-
ing effective all around me. The
words of it, as I have already en-
phasized, was the utter despair of
the masses which resulted, therefore,
in the disappearance among edu-
Gated classes of all confidence in
human reason, let alone in a sense OF
justice, and at the same time in a
predominance of brutal selfishness in
all creatures so disposed.
The extent to which, in the course
of what is now 20 years, have been
able once more to mold the nation
from such chaotic disorganization
into an organic whole and to estab-
lish new order that even now is part
of German history. However, what
I intend to PROFOUND before you to-
day by way of introduction is, above
all, the purport of my intentions
with regard to foreign policy and
their realization.
One Of the Most Shameful Acts Ever.
One of the most shameful acts Of
oppression ever committed is the
dismemberment of the German ma
ton and the political disintegration
Of her living space-which has, after
all, been hers for thousands of years
provided for in the dictate of Ver-
sailles.
I have never, gentlemen, left any
doubt that in point of fact It Is
scarcely possible anywhere in Eu-
rope to arrive at harmony of state
and national boundaries which will
be satisfactory in every way. On one
hand, migration of peoples whicn
gradually came to standstill during
the last few centuries, and develop
ment OF large communities on the
0ther, have brought about a situa-
ton which, whatever way they look
at 1t, must necessarily be considered
unsatisfactory by those concerned.
1t was, however, the very way III
which these national and political
developments were gradually stabil-
lied In the last century which led
many to consider themselves justi-
f1ed In cherishing hope that In the
end compromise would be found
between respect for the national life
OF various European peoples and
recognition of established political
structures-a compromise by whcin,
without destroying political order in
Europe and with it the existing eco
nomic basis, nationalities could
nevertheless be preserved.
Peace Did No Justice
This hope was abolished by the
Great War. Peace-the dictate of
Versailles-did justice neither to one
principle nor to the other. Neither
the right Of self-determination nor
yet political, let alone economic nee
esstties and conditions for European
oevelOpmeut. were reAnActAd New,