The Wanganui Chronicle. THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1938. WILL DICTATORSHIPS ENDURE?

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 88, 14 April 1938, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle. THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1938. WILL DICTATORSHIPS ENDURE?

J-JITLER now claims to be the instrument of God, seeing in the

absorption of Austria by Germany the manifestation of the Divine Will. This mental condition may be termed abnormal, but it is not unusual. The similarity between the psychology of the ex-Kaiser before his downfall and that of Adolf Hitler to-day is pronounced. Will the fate which overwhelmed the exKaiser do the same for Hitler? In short, can dictatorships be made to endure? History does not seem to support the view that they will.

Dictatorships, like everything else, vary. The most complete dictatorship is to be found in Oriental absolutism. But Oriental despots have to walk with care. The Kings of Afghanistan have provided picturesque examples of the instability of this class of ruler.

Oliver Cromwell’s Protectorship was based on Parliamentarianism and the army, but eventually on the later. Napoleon’s rise was purely military in its incidence. Stalin’s dictatorship is in part political, but chiefly based on police strength. Mussolini’s dictatorship rests upon propaganda and police organisation. The same holds true of Hitler. The Japanese dictatorship is purely the dominance of the officers of the army and the nacy. Franco’s dictatorship rests chiefly on foreign aid. Sehuschnigg’s dictatorship of Austria rested upon the support of the Catholic and the dynastic elements in Austria, who were unwilling to acquiesce in what has now happened,> the absorption of Austria within the Reich. In Turkey. President Kernel Attaturk rules through a Parliament, but his dominance appears to be based on his control over the army and the political incompetence of the mass of his countrymen. The spread of dictatorships is remarkable. In 1914 there existed not one dictatorship in Europe, but after a four-year conflict, fought to make the world safe for democracy, dictatorships have sprung up like mushrooms after a warm rain. A relationship between the Great War and dictatorships immediately suggests itself.

Dictatorships have arisen out of more than one cause, but in each instance a condition of chaos preceded them. In Russia the previous regime had collapsed. In Germany a condition of despair had settled down on the people which saw no hopeful signs in the future. In Italy the Parliamentary machine, which had never worked efficiently, failed to cope with industrial disorders, and a dictatorship was accepted as the lesser of two evils. In Japan the dictatorship was assisted by the sense of grievance ■which was strong within that country, because of the belief that she had been robbed of the fruits of victory. In fine, abnormal circumstances have called the dictatorships into being. The test of dictatorships will arise when abnormal conditions disappear. The best evidence that dictatorships are a transitory phase is to be found in their need to maintain a "crisis mentality.” An individual patient cannot continue for long in a condition of crisis, and this is equally true of a nation. Mass psychology is based on individual psychology, and what the unit cannot sustain, the mass is incapable of supporting. Crisis mentality involves a tremendous nervous drain which must lead 1o spiritual exhaustion. "In the quiet hour strength eometli.” is sound sense, for nations as well as for individuals. In other words, the soul of a. nation shall not be saved by persistent propaganda, and where the soul is starved there is no possibility of redemption. Significantly enough, the dictator States are rot improving Hieir financial positions. They arc drawing on the future financially, nervously, and spiritually. They represent a tremendous gamble at very, very long odds.