Evening star., 1942-05-31
State Socialism, Wars Product,
May Become Firmly Rooted
British Trend Clearly Is for Continuance of
Wartime Controls After Peace Comes;
America Has Yet to Choose
BY Felir Morley.

vitality of British capitalism will in time
leave private enterprise in that country
too weak to restore even a semblance Of
the prewar economic order.
The state will retain most of the war;
born multiplicity Of controls and inaug-
urate planned economic democracy" as
settled policy, simply because there will
be no alternative to that course. The
traditional love of freedom and the po-
litical genius of the English may we'll
operate to make their national socialism
very different from either the Russian
or German varieties. But there will be
the same underlying principle of per-
manently subordinating the individual
to the state.
So the issue posed by Prof. Laski is
not so much whether the socialiStic
trend is making headway in Great
Britain. He himself, answered this ques-
ton by saying it should be made unmis-
takably clear that the British Labor party
is not merely democratic but also social
istic. The issue, for this country at
least, is the extent to which the evident
trend in Britain is also operative here.
Decision Is Our Governments.
Brief consideration indicates that the
final answer for this country is bound
up with the character of our war aims
and therefore will not be available until
the time has come to disclose with some
precision what those war aims are.
and totalitarianism traces to the OBJ
vious fact that totalitarian methods un-
questionably increase enormously the
physical power of nation.
Totalitarianism explains why both
Germany and Japan, though once re-
garded as too impoverished to fight a
protracted war, have alike proved such
formidable opponents. The same expla-
nation holds good for the unexpected en-
durance and power of the Russian re-
sistance. 1t explains why Britain is
gaining strength in spite of series of
military defeats.
Germany to a considerable extent,
Japan in even greater degree, developed
totalitariansm as a political and eco
nomic system in order to further their
nationalistic ends. In the unScrupulouS
hands OF Axis leadership the power of the
weapon has been demonstrated in man
ner as convincing as it is abhorrent.
Fundamental Changes Ahead.
If this weapon of totalitarianism is
powerful in Nazi hands it will, of course,
be far more powerful when welded by an
American leadership which can count on
the immensely superior resources and
the at least equally developed human
skills available to the United States.
That is why, at the war period, phase
of totalitarianism must be expected and
accepted in this country.
Nevertheless, and much more than is
the case in Great Britain, it rests with
our own Government to decide whether
this totalitarian phase shall be passing
episode, or shall become established ma
limited war objectives the developing
state controls may prove as transient as
they are, in any dictatorial form, both
novel and disturbing.
If, on the other hand, the goal is writ
ten in terms of IAN American century,"
totalitarianiSm as a settled philosophy
may we'll be necessary in order fully to
mobilize and maintain our resources for
the colossal task that phrase implies.
For it is idle to suppose that we can con-
sciously control or direct world destiny
without the most fundamental changes
in our traditional. and easy-going, poll
tical and economic systems