Evening star., 1940-10-28
Axis Economics

HAtS LSOtiOIiIt(S
Continental Europe is experience
ing veritable flood of conferences.
Hitler hobnobs with the French and
Spanish leaders. A new Danube
River Commission is meeting at
Bucharest, with Russia sitting in one
OF the chairs left vacant by Britain
and France, who have been sum-
marily expelled. The background is
filled with meetings of experts on
various matters
All these conferences are doubt
less primarily concerned with the
conduct of the war. Yet this does
not mean that military questions
alone are on the agenda. The evil
dence tends to show that economic
considerations are being discussed,
and that these economic factors
have far-reaching Implications The
axis powers are obviously seeking not
only to consolidate their newly won
grip over the continent for war pur-
poses, but also to lay the foundations
for an economic structure which
shall endure beyond the war period.
In these efforts the axis leaders
are cleverly seeking to capitalize on
certain trends which were visible
long before the present struggle.
During the 1920S, the continent
buzzed with discussions of ambitious
projects for international economic
reconstruction, best known by the
ideal of 'Pan-Europe" 1t was widely
felt that the Versailles settlements
which closed the previous war had
been drawn too much along nation
alistic lines, with scant regard for
economic realities. In an age Of
mass production and superpower, a
Europe criss-croSsed by boundary
lines which were also tariff walls was
an obvious anachronism which pre-
vented the coming of general pros
perity. The problem was to recon-
cile nationalism with economies But
no nation was willing to make any
real sacrifices, so an economic PAN
Europe by mutual consent remained
a vain dream.
What could not be accomplished
by peaceful cooperation has been at
least specifically and t0mporarily
done by brute force. c many and
Italy today are the economic mas
ters of the continent, and even tech
nically independent nations like
Yugoslavia, Sweden and Switzerland
are economically almost as much
under axis domination as though
they were militarily occupied by axis
armies.
To be sure, this very axis domina-
ton renders the whole continent,
belligerents and neutrals alike, sub
ject to the grip of the British naval
blockade. But axis diplomacy now
seeks to make this unpleasant fact
one of the bases on which to con-
struct their Pan European" edifce.
The hard winter of privation which
lies ahead will doubtless be used for
all it is worth by axis propaganda to
create feeling of continental soli-
darity against the island mower
which shuts the continent off from
the outer world
Furthermore, axis diplomacy holds
out the hope of perfecting economic
contacts with Russia with the Near
East and with Africa. If even par
TALLY successful, these would largely
compensate for ruptured communi-
cations with the Far East and the
Americas. Africa, in particular. is
being held out as a vital storehouse
of raw materials and tropical prod
ucts. That is the special lure by
which it is hoped to bring hungry
France and Spain into line
No matter how specious and selfish
this propaganda may be, it's influence
upon the suffering peoples of the
continent should not be underesti-
mated. AS already remarked, it takes
advantage of a perfectly valid trend.
Even in Britain, it is generally ad-
mitted that Europe can never 20
back to the economically unsound
pre-War status. Somehow or other,
Europe must be economically ra-
tionalized. The sole alternative is
whether it is to be botched by the
axis or done constructively with due
regard for the interests of both the
peoples of the continent and of the
world at large.