Evening star., 1941-08-31
Domination of the Continent
By TOtalitarian Faces Britain
Type Seen Dependent on Whether Soviet Ger.
many Wins; Collaboration With i. S.
Held Guaranteeing Empire
Ry eLr
By FeIir Morley.

Coincident with the close of the Sec
ond year of the war comes the Anglo
Russian military pressure upon Iran, as
though to signify that the worldwide
conflict is still in the expanding stage.
None can say whether the fighting will
continue another two years or more, as
President Roosevelt recently suggested
in voicing a warning against American
complacency. A third winter of wide
spread hostilities, involving incalculable
human suffering. now lies ahead.
The end is not in sight. Yet certain
fundamental changes in both the po-
litical and economic alignment of West
ern civilization have already been
brought about. Their significance is OBJ
scured by the greater drama of the
f1uctuating tide of battle. This is
natural, since the effects of changes
already accomplished are to some extent
contingent on the eventual outcome of
hostilities. Nevertheless, and regardless
of the outcome of the war, some perma-
nent alterations have already taken
place. There permanence can only be
confirmed by continuation of the fight
ing
Frances Policy Transformed.
The outstanding change apparent at
the close of the second year of war is
the complete transformation of the
policy of France It's far-reaching So
cial. economic and political implications
were summarized in Marshal Petains
extraordinary broadcast from Vichy on
August II.
In Great Britain and the United
States, not to mention France itself,
strong resentment has been aroused by
Petain's statements that "our parlia-
mentary democracy is dead" and that II
shall renew against a selfish and blind
capitalism that struggle which the SOW
ereigns of France waged and won against
feudahsm."
The point at issue here, however, is not
so much the desirability of Vichy policy
as the probability of its permanence.
And continuation of the war, forcing
biockaded France to ever closer collabo-
ration with Germany and Italy in order
to exist, seems all too likely to consoli-
date and perpetuate the policies laid
down by Marshal Petain regardless of
the discomfort raised thereby.
For the past three centuries, the for
eign policy OF France has sought first to
dominate Europe and then, by alliance
with Russia and Great Britain in recent
years, to prevent Germany from achiev-
ing that dominance. The present shift
to subordinate but active collaboration
with Germany, both to British and Rus
sian disadvantage, is therefore a change
of the most fundamental importance.
Seen as Realistic.
1t is change initiated by the crushing
military defeat of France. But it is also
change from which those in power at
tional regeneration. That hope is the
motive behind Petain's message urging
the French people to turn themselves
toward broad perspectives that can open
up reconciled continent to activity"
However offensive from the viewpoint
of traditional loyalties, the policy of Mar
shal Petain, from the detached historical
FicWpOlilI, may ulueT Tie circumstances
be regarded as realistic.
There is no record of any nation suffer-
ing complete defeat and finding later re-
generation without a revolutionary
change in policy. The present policy of
Vichy may properly be called objection
able, particularly by the French them
selves. 1t cannot fairly be called un-
reasonable.
Moreover, and this is for present pur-
poses the major consideration, the Vichy
policy of forwarding European unifica-
ton is likely to endure, whatever the out
come of the war. French energies will
unquestionably be directed to this end
if Germany succeeds in defeating Russia
But the same policy, under other leader
ship, is likely to be followed by France,
if Russia, with Anglo-American aid, sue
ceeds in defeating Germany.
European unification was never
achieved, was on the contrary progress
sively weakened, under the system of
rival democratic nationalisms which sue
ceeded the upheaval of the French Rev.
olution and the Napoleonic period. But
European unif1cation can be achieved