Evening star., 1945-08-21
Todoy's War Story
BY THOMAS r.. HENRY,
Star staff Correspondent.

PRAGUE. - Czechoslovakia is IL
the process Of revolution by decree
Some Of the most Fundamental
changes in its history are beini
effected by presidential order. Still
according to leading citizens, ther,
really is no departure from demo
cratic tradition.
The DEGREES are issued, with tn,
advice of his ministers, by Presiden
Edouard Benes. When 1t is con.
sidered that the presidential orders
arc for such momentous changes a!
the naturalization of banking
mining and most heavy industry. tn,
arbitrary reduction OF the number
Of political parties and tearing tn,
entire German element out of thu
population one can appreciate tn,
magnitude of the task Presiden1
Benes has taken on his shoulder.
Every step is closely tied to tn,
basic immediate problem on which
the government has set It's heart
the de -Germanization OF Czecho.
slovakia." The nation was set ur
after the last war as q model demo.
cratic republic. For generations II
had been ruled by the absolutism
mollified by corruption which had
been the defunct Austro-H Hungarian
Empire. All this supposedly was
swept away over night.
Czechoslovakia started out with
a constitution which was supposed
to express the best in the experiences
of the democracies Of the United
States, Great Britain and France
There were unusual precautions
especially to protect the interests
Of minorities. But, 1t now appears
there was one great mistake. Much
that Is being done now, 1t is claimed
is intended not so much as q de-
parture from democratic principles
as to rectify that mistake for all
time.
Is Parties Listed.
The Czechoslovak electorate spill,
into parties ranging from right te
left. just before Munich there
were 13. They fought bitterly be-
tween themselves IN true democratic
fashion. But there was one min
ority which constituted an invisible
party, which was highly organized
which permeated all parties, but
which was concerned with only ont
objective. The rest of the republic
was split in factions. There wer.
no factions in this group. 1t wa.
the German element not only il
the frinsing Sudetenland where i,
was greatly in the majority bu
throughout Bohemia, Moravia ane
Slovakia.
For example, in the city Of Pragu.
there were many thousands Of Ger.
mans. They had their own schools
including a university and a tech.
nical high school. Some wer,
carpet baggers." Some familie!
had lived in the city for centurie.
without. however, becoming alb
sorbed in the Czech population
They looked on themselves as a sor
OF aristocracy. The Czechs soor
were to learn that the averag,
German, whether he was a mem
ber Of the extreme right or a fam
ing red, remained above all ,
German.
This German element was yer,
powerful. It owned vast tracts O
the best land. It owned great, Otter
controlling. blocks of stock In tn,
heavy industries, especially tn,
armaments industry. It owned tn,
mines. 1t was a big factor in bank
ing. When the day came all thes,
interests were thrown in one direc,
tion-that Of making Czechoslovakis
an integral part of Germany
establishing German supremacy
everywhere, and putting the de-
spised Czechs in their places.
Slate Is Clean.
Now the republic starts with {
clean slate again. This time, Presi
dent Benes and his ministers hav,
agreed, 1t will be a really clean slate
The country must be completely de-
Germanized, almost regardless O
who gets hurt in the process. TIL,
great land owners already hav,
been, for the most part, dispossessee
and the process Of distributing tn,
land among small farmers, for tn,
most part their former tenants
is well underway. The mines. heavy
industries and banks will become
the property of the nation and viii
be run as national monopolies.
German owners lose everything
The policy is outright seizure. They
will not get q penny. Rich mer
whose holdings were in Czechoslo.
vakia will be reduced to paupers ant
kicked back into, the Germany from
which they, or even their ancestors
many generations ago, came. CZECH
shareholders and q few Germans
who proved their loyalty to the re.
public by undergoing persecution
such as few years in Dachau o.
Buchenwald-will be paid. But tn.
aYc1iaa NJ mt having takAn any