Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-25
National Socialism
Product of War
German Economic Policy Is
Traced to Experience
With Blockade
BY BLAIR BOLLES.

BY BLAIR BOLLES.
GERMAN ECONOMY, lS7O.ls4O. BY
Gustav STOPPER. New York: Reynal
& Hitchcock.
Since national socialism became the
mechanics of state for Germany and
especially since the war began, men
and women have reflected on whether
Germany is at fault or whether Ger
many is the unhappy dupe of Adolf
Hitler and his accomplices-at fault, that
is, in the glorifcation of the total state,
whose managers have shown that they
feel the best insurance of their systems
survival lies in taking their state into
battle. DR.. Gustav STOPPER, the Ger
man economist, sees long established
historical basis for Hitlerean tptai-
tarianism, going back to the origins Of
Prussia as kingdom OF power under
Frederick I almost $50 years ago.
From the very beginnings in Prussia"
DR.. STOPPER writes, 'the state was every
thing, not because of a preconceived
philosophy, but because of the lack of
creative forces other than the state,
itself, creation of an ambitious dynasty
and its military exploits"
The Prussian Statism of the 18th CEN
fury was fused with the German ma
tlonallsm of the 10Th, which produced
for the first time in history unified
Germany, born of the Franco-P russian
War of 1870. But geographical unity
meant only political subservience to
Prussia for the German kingdoms and
principalities and dukedoms south and
west Of Prussia. Bureaucracy stifled in
tellectualism. German liberalism -
had sold its soul to the principles of
Prussian state power. - What was left
of independent thought, upright in
dividualism, opposition against the del
fication of the state and the classes
personifying the state was crushed or
corrupted by the ruthless genius Of
Bismarck"
The difference between Bismarck and
Hitler. then, is one chiefly of purpose. In
methods the difference lies only in
degree; Hitler has developed statism to
a point of intensity out of Bismarcks
reach. The key to the differences lies
in the World War, which not only inten-
sifled the policy of statism but "by dis
rupting the continuity of life - made
fundamentally conservative nation re-
volutionary.' The peacetime Germany
OF Bismarck and of Kaiser Wilhelm was
a member of the family of nations 1t
was illiberal only at home The peace
time Germany of Hitler was feared as
predator. Between the wars close and
Hitler's arrival in power lay the miser-
able days for Germany Of the 1923 infla-
tionary period and the deluge Of 1929
Those hapless times served to lift Hitler
to eminence and to send the Weimar
Republic to the grave. But German his
tory of two centuries had insured Hitler's
being acceptable.
Dr.. STOPPER discusses these matters
know that grave political influences
were at work on Bismarck and have been
and are at work on Hitler which purely
economic treatise cannot present. But
IN economics lies a great part OF the
national socialistic story. The German
autarchy Of the 1905 was an economic
aspect of history which was one of the
most decisive factors in the origin of
the current war. National socialistic
autarchy, in turn, was born in the
economics of the World War.
Not only had Germany and German
industry DR.. STOPPER writes on the
economic consequences for Germany of
her entry into war in 1914. the ire
mendous task of providing alone, with
out economic or financial help from
abroad, for all ornaments during four
years of the greatest war ever fought
in history, but also while the industrial
nations on the other side of the trenches
were able to call in the aid of the
greatest economic world power, the
United States, Germany's fate was
decisively altered by the blockade, which
now forced her into an involuntary and
memorable autarchy, although up to that
time she had participated in world trade
more than any other nation except
England. This experience has never
faded from the memory of the German
people. Without it the economic policy
of the Hitler regime cannot be under
Stood"
And how good does the German econo-
mist consider that economic policy of the
Hitler regime? 1t can be maintained
indefinitely provided only the govern
ment refrains from exaggerating its adj
venture and the people remain ready to
complete deprivation Of individual lib
erty.' That is an ironic sentence. OF
course, the German government has ex-
aggerated its adventure by going to war.
No people ever for infinite time SUBJ
mitted to complete deprivation of their
liberty. So the success of the economics
of Germany is conditioned on politics.
DR.. STOPPER admits this, and admits 1t
sadly. But what politics will settle. eco
Monies in allarge degree began. For that
reason, DR.. STOPPER has written valu-
able book