Wairarapa Daily Times [Established 44 Years.] MONDAY, MARCH 10, 1919. GERMAN SOCIALISTS AND THE WAR.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 45, Issue 13781, 10 March 1919, Page 4

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established 44 Years.] MONDAY, MARCH 10, 1919. GERMAN SOCIALISTS AND THE WAR.

"Three Years of Word Revolution,' , by Herr Paul Lensch, throws an interesting light on the attitude of the German Majority Socialists to the war. The author is a prominent member of this party, and edited one of its organs. Since 1912 he has had a seat in the Reichstag. With the rest of his party he voted for the war credit on the declaration of war, and has supported the Government ever since, until defeat in the field enabled his party belatedly to see the error of its way. He himself admits quite frankly that years ago he foresaw this war, but did not seek to prevent it internationalism could best be realised on a basis of I German victory. From this it may be gathered that Herr Lensch represents a somewhat Chauvinistic school of Socialist thought, and the impression is con-< firmed by the contents of the book. For the '/revolution ,, to which he refers is not the kind which has-occurred in Eussia or later in Germany; it is the transference of the hegemony of the Western world. He pictures Europe groaning under the dominance of England—swollen, reactionary and selfish. From this it is the duty of Germany, the apostle of culture and freedom, to rescue her, and in this lies the peculiar significance of the war, which is a conflict of ideals. For Herr Lensch to think of Germany as a crusader, a champion of freedom

for eivilsation, seems rather grotesque, but it shows what a faculty for selfdeception he and his colleagues possess. His idealism is of an aggressive nature j ho dreams of the day when tho permanent union of Germany and Austria-Hun-gary will have formed a solid Central European "bloc," 130 million strong, when Prance will be a third-rate power, when Eussia will be disintegrated, when Britain will bo abandoned by her former friends, who have discovered her falsity, when, in fact, Europe has become again the Europe of the Roman Empire. Then at last the German Socialists will bo able to bestow their blessings upon a submissive world. Nor is this quite so extravagant as it sounds. The book was written at the end of 1917, when the military position of Germany was still satisfactory. Eussia was definitely out of tho war. Tho German public was again assured that American aid would be ineffective; and the British advance- had been checked. The author, like many of his countrymen, was convinced that even if Germany could not dictate the peace of victory, she would have the peace of a drawn battle, and that this would serve her purpose equally well. For everyone (including tho English) knew that "if England did not win the victory in this war sho would be conquered, and that if Germany were not conquered then Germany would have won the victory. " This is a point to which he returns again and again, and to this ho attributes what ho calls "the brutal rejection" of Germany's generous peace offers. 110 is annoyed with the Allies, because sacrifices only make them more stubborn; but ho condescends to appreciate their motives. England in particular cannot entertain any thought of peace in the existing situation, because England has inspired the resistance of the Allies, and hopes that they may still pull the chestnuts out of the fire for her. England must save her face at all costs, for failure in this Avar means that sho will for ever lose caste in European eyes. And yet the longer the Allies continue tho struggle the worse will bo their eventual plight. The formula "no annexations" has set the seal on their doom; although it will require the evacuation of occupied territory by Germany, Germany is the only power that benefits. Britain Avill have to renounce her conquests in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific; France, disappointed in her hopes of re- \ covering her lost provinces, will soon cease to count a.s a formidable factor in Europa-in affairs, "but for Germany a peace even without conquestafCvould involve a considerable extension™?,her power in Central Europe, in closotilliauee with Austria-Hungary, and lpnd-in-hand with the Balkans and Turkey, for as a result of the decline of France and the Russian Revolution, the old distribution of power on her two flanks has been completely altered.''* That is quite characteristic of this curious Socialist's viewpoint. He welcomes the Russian revolution not because it marked the progress of socialist doctrine, but because- it strengthened Germany's military position!