Evening star., 1939-04-16

human nature, to repeat them
selUes at some future time-it not
erdctly the same, yet Uery SINH
fdrly.'-Thucydides, History, I, 2.
I Twenty years after two coalitions of
~ European powers concluded the bloodiest
war in history, battle lines appear to be
forming again with striking similarity
to those of 1914-18, observers noted this
week as thousands of troops were called
to the colors and as statesmen tried
frantically to avert another disaster
Changes in the geographical distribu-
ton OF European peoples. wrought by the
map-makers at Versailles, together with
the political effect of new ideologies like
Communism and Fascism, prevent the
military map of today from duplicating
exactly that of two decades ago. Too,
the alignment of few of the smaller
,powers is yet uncertain. But, even al
lowing for these differences, if war broke
out in Europe tomorrow. it would present
many striking similarities to the last
major struggle.
Air Force Today's Terror.
Now, as then, highly efficient Ger
man military machine has all those not
allied with it fearful and apprehensive.
Two decades ago Germanys might
rested largely on its superiority in heavy
artillery, submarines and Zeppelins. To-
day its giant air corps-supreme in the
latest field of warfare-has Europe ter
rorized.
In 1914 the eXpansionist policies of
Wilhelm 1I-his determination to create
Teutonic Mitteleuropa stretching from
the Baltic to the Black Sea, his challenge
to British supremacy at sea, his worship
Of the Nietzcshean Germanic super
man" and his deSpisal of the Slavs-gave
impetus to an aggressive policy which
kept Europe in nervous state. The an
swer of England, France and Russia was
the Gordon sanitaire
Substitute new lexicon of political
terms, and Hitlerian Germany blends
neatly into the 1914 picture Der Fueh-
rer, like the Kaiser, cherishes the old
Germanic dream of a state stretching
across the whole of Central Europe. His
ambitions. indeed, are on a grander
scale, encompassing the Soviet Ukraine
to the east. Germany again is challeng-
ing, though not yet SO formidably, the
aea power OF Britain. The development
OF air power has made sea power less inn
portant than formerly. The ancient
rivalry between Teuton and Slav has
been even further embittered by clash
between ideologies.
Pre-war Russia and Germany at least
were both monarchies. Today the natu-
raj racial antipathy between the two
has been deepened by their respective
espousal of Communism and Fascism-
basicly similar but sworn enemies. Fas-
cism, too, has declared war on de-
mocracy, as represented by England
and France. In his racial credo Adolf
Hitler has gone far beyond the late
Kaiser in exalting the Nordic and form
ing grandiose plans for the subjection of
Europes slave races"
Gordon Again Appears.
And, as final parallel, the fears of
.Germany's potential enemies have driven
them as in 1914 to attempt to form
ring of defensive alliances which
Berlin regards as "encirclement." Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain if his
present diplomacy is successful, will pre-
sent Germany with the near equivalent
OF the old Anglo Russian Gordon
sanitaire. So, fear has led again to
protective measures which, as before,
Germany feels it must fight to avoid
being stifled and crushed by an outer
ring of enemies.
Germany's most powerful ally in 1914
was that polyglot assemblage of Ger
mans, Czechs, Croats, Magyars and other
minorities grouped loosely under the
aegis Of the Hapsburg monarchy Aus
tro-Hungary has, of course, passed into
history. Yet the outbreak of war today
would find many of its former peoples
and the cream of its industrial and
mineral resources under the command of
>Berlin.
What the Versailles treaty left of
Austria, as well as the Bohemian and
Moravian sections of the old empire, now
are integral parts of German territory.
Hungary still is nominally independent,
but Is likely either to be drawn into Ber-
Nns orbit by diplomatic military con-
quest, as was Austria, or to ally herself
with Germany rather than face invasion
~-by the Reich during general war.
The positions of Bulgaria and Turkey,
Germanys other World War allies, are
yet uncertain. AS this is written, Mr..
Chamoerlaln is making strenuous efforts
TO draw them into the Anglo-French
coalition.
Italy Again a Question?
Italy, meanwhile, presents a seeming
distortion of the 1914 military map-or is
Italy again question mark?
Z In 1914 the Italian Kingdom was q full
fledged member of the German
Austro Hungarian Italian Trinle ALI
ance, pledged to aid its two partners n
either were attacked. Yet this alliance
stronger in its terms than the present
Rome Berlin axis agreement did not
prevent Rome from staying out Of the
war for many months and eventually
throwing its weight against its former
allies.
am. not implying here that Rome
Again will leave Germany in the lurch
# Germany, rather than Italy, should
provoke a war. Indeed, Rome and Ber-
lin at the moment appear to be acting
IN the closest unity, and Mussolini is
loud in protesting loyalty to his fellow