World Affairs Institute

Germany's Cause for Anxiety Source: Advocate of Peace through Justice, Vol. 93, No. 3 (August, 1931), pp. 132-135 Published by: World Affairs Institute Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20681582 . Accessed: 11/04/2011 21:07
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132 Advocate

of Peace,

August,

1931

giving to the newly created Poland an out let to the sea. It was formerly an integral part of theGerman territoryknown asWest Prussia. The port for that section has been for centuries the ancient West Prussian city of Danzig. Historically, the Corridor ter

tion thought by many careful observers to be more threatening than any other to the peace of Europe; more threatening than tariffs, than armaments, than Russia, debts. than

ritory belonged to the Germans for over a century, following the year 1300; then to for over three hundred years; again toGermany from 1771 to 1919, when itwas

Poland

approximately only one hundred thousand Cause for Anxiety Germany's Germans throughout the section known as a world issue destined to be there is the Corridor. And yet, throughout the re gion, racial and religious antagonisms are BUT more bitterly fought over than tariffs, than armaments, than Russia, than bitter. Poland insists that she must retain debts, than the Corridor. It is not, the estrange theCorridor as her own territorial approach to the sea. Germany insists, on the other ment between France and the rest of the the League of Nations, theWorld hand, that she should have a territorial world, the differences between the Cove Court, right of way to her own East Prussia. Thus, nant of the League ofNations and the Pact as will appear from the accompanying map, of Paris, the Balkans, the economic de the two countries are faced with what ap pression. None need to belittle the im pears to be an irreconcilable conflict of in of any of these. Indeed, they are terests. Danzig is thoroughly German. It portance not entirely separate problems; for there is at themouth of the Vistula. As has been are interrelations that tie them more or pointed out, it is to the Vistula what New less into one common world Orleans is to the Mississippi. situation, com The people plicated as it is disturbing. of Danzig, a Free City under the Aegis of The real issue in Europe, however, of the League ofNations, wish to retain their as a city of Germans. Poland insists which all these are but parts, is the treaty entity that her port on the Baltic must be Polish. signed at Versailles on the twenty-eighth of June, 1919. Look at the map and see Unable thus far to win the political allegi ance of Danzig, Poland is building a port what Germany asks. The Treaty of Versailles contains fifteen of her own on the site of the little fishing a dozen miles west of parts, the first of which is known as the village Danzig, a port Covenant of the League of Nations. now known as Gdynia, and In connecting it, to the hinterland by a new spite of that Covenant, framed to "promote furthermore, international cooperation and to achieve in railroad. This new port has already de ternational peace and security," nearly veloped within the last five years from a feels less secure every nation in Europe population of about 300 to 45,000. Danzig is naturally greatly disturbed, for the ques today than in 1913. Notwithstanding the tion facing her is, "Shall we remain German recognition in Article 8 of the Covenant and lose our trade, or lose our nationality that "the maintenance of peace requires the and keep our business?" Here is a situa reduction of national armaments to the low

turned back to Poland. Since 1919, when there were over a million Germans in that section, many have left; until now there are

Yet, the attention of our people seems to be wholly concentrated upon debts. Those for the moment seem to be our only inter national question, in spite of the fact that they are but factors in a much larger prob
lem.

Advocate

of Peace,

August,

1931

133

NORTH

'AUSTRIA

j HUNGARY

? ?

)Y U g 0 S LaWIA'x
New York Times

Some

of Germany's

Troubles

omic situation in all European lands, France included, is dire ; but that is only an ex pression of other and disquieting causes. The Paris Pact, for example, is quite out of step with the Covenant, for there are many treaties now in force which provide, under given circumstances, for the waging of war, as in the case of the Little Entente,

est point consistent with the national safety/' there are more men under arms inEurope than ever before. True, the econ

former territory. Under Part 8, Section I, keystone of the treaty, all responsibility for the World War is laid upon Germany. Under Part 5, Germany undertook to ob serve the treaty "in order to render pos sible the initiation of a general limitation of the armaments of all nations." There has been no such general limitation of arm aments.

the military alliances, the Treaties of Lo carno, even the Covenant of the League of Nations itself. Such arrangements may maintain an armistice; they cannot be
cause of peace between nations.

counted as permanent contributions to the Under one section of the Treaty of Ver sailles, Germany lost 13 per cent of her

France; 16,378 square miles in the Cor with a population of 2,934,000, to ridor, Poland; 1,441 square miles in Upper Sile with a population of 1,124,000, to Po sia, land, and 122 square miles, with a popula tion of 48,000, to Czechoslovakia; 726 square miles in the Saar Basin, with a

Because of the treaty, Germany lost nearly 30,000 square miles of her ter ritory, 5,606 square miles in Alsace-Lor raine, with a population of 1,700,000, to

134 Advocate

of Peace,

August,

1931

population of 793,000, to the League ofNa tions; 739 square miles of West Prussia, with a population of 330,000, to theDanzig Free State; 1,542 square miles of North Schleswig, with a population of 166,000, to Denmark; 1,026 square miles of theMemel with a population of 145,000, to District, 400 square miles of Eupen Lithuania; Belgium. While Germany recognizes that she is a defeated nation, there is an outspoken de mand throughout the land for a new deal. Germany may be expected to demand fur

today less than one-third her former size. Hungary has lost over three million Hun garians; vakia; one-half million to Yugoslavia; three-quarters of a million to Czechoslo

to 1,700,000 through Transylvania her Rumania, and 65,000 to Austria. Of million mania. former total population, three and one-half and have gone to Czechoslovakia over four million to Yugoslavia and Ru

Malm?dy,

with a population of 60,000, to

Of the twenty million in erstwhile thirteen and one-half Greater Hungary, million are gone. It is not without interest, furthermore, to note that the Hungarian army is now 35,000; the Czechoslavakian 232,000, army, 160,000; the Rumanian, and the Yugoslavian, 150,000 men. The

of a thousand years are proud Magyars Dawes Plan, later by the Young Plan, and under the regency of Admiral existing now by the Hoover proposal; but we may and also an increasing demand for the Horthy, the control of Count Bethlen, expect the while that they are denied complaining rearrangement of her eastern frontiersboth re the Corridor and Upper Silesia; the the right of self-determination. They along as they sent their lot, especially because, return of the Saar; the recovery of Danzig: claim, Hungary was in no sense guilty of union with Austria, and either the increase indeed, as they insist, of her military force or the decrease of the starting the war; Count Tisza?their only representative at military strength of others, especially the conference which brought Hungary into and Poland. France the conflict?flatly objected to the war. course Germany is not the only in Of Thus it will be seen, the Treaty of Ver terested party. Under the general terms of sailles bristles with difficulties. Shall Prus the Treaty of Versailles and of the sup sia be allowed to take over Polish Pome plementary Treaty of St. Germain of 1919, rania in her efforts to get a territorial link Austrian territory, known as the South to Is Alsace-Lorraine with East Prussia? Tyrol with its 250,230 Germans, Trieste, be left alone! Shall Austria regain the Istria, Zara, and certain islands of the sea, Shall Hungary be al Adige from Italy! have all been turned over to Italy; Galicia Must to take back Transylvania? lowed has been given to Poland; Bohemia, Mo ravia and part of Silesia, with over three England be made to get out of Palestine have been given to and of the valleys of the Euphrates and the million Germans, the time come for France, Has Tigris? Carniola, Dalmatia, Bos Czechoslovakia; and Italy to be denied further nia, Harzevonia have been handed over to Belgium funds for reparations throughout the areas to Rumania. and Bukowina Yugoslavia, devastated by German armies? Under the terms of this treaty, also, and Thus the basic issue in Europe is, Shall of the supplementary Treaty of Neuilly, the Treaty of Versailles and the supple of 1919, Bulgaria lost 8 per cent of her
territory.

ther revisions of the payments under the Treaty of Versailles as modified by the

Under the terms of the Treaty of Ver sailles and the later treaty known as the is Treaty of Trianon of 1920, Hungary

mentary treaties of St. Germain, of Neully, and of Trianon, be revised? There

is a powerful group of states, each states are pleading for revision. These

Advocate

of Peace,

August,

1931

135

Germany, Austria, Hungary,

Bulgaria, all seemingly supported by Italy. The states opposed to revision are France, Belgium,

Poland,

mania, rather formidable Little Entente.

Ru Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, the last three of which compose the The re

of reparations, the evacuation of theRhine It will be im land, have been changed. to stopmodifications for the future. possible Change is the law of life. As Emerson points out in his essay on "Compensation": "The changes which break up at short in tervals the prosperity ofmen are advertise

It has the treaty be changed? been changed. Those portions relating to the trial of the Kaiser, to the assessment Shall

throughout Europe by the gradual modifi cation of the Treaty of Vienna, and that, ments of a nature whose law is growth." So the question is not, after all, Shall the therefore, from now on, peace will have to The Treaty of Versailles be changed? be maintained by the gradual modification How much further shall it be question is, of the Treaty of Versailles. The anti-revi That, in our judgment, is the changed! on the other hand, take the ground sionists, most serious political question facing the that the treaty cannot be revised because world. Germany may be counted on to see history has shown that whenever "Ger that the question is not forgotten. many is given an inch she will take an ell." All the beneficiaries of the Treaty of Ver realize that if Germany is found of the war, her guilt being firmly guiltless established in the Treaty of Versailles, the whole fabric of the treaties will break down. sailles

visionists not only complain of the injus tices of the treaties; they point out that, following 1815, peace was maintained

An Estimate of the French

Position

writer of these lines has been in THE France since the war many times. He That would spell for Europe nothing but has many highly valued acquaintances anarchy. among the French people. He dares to set So there it remains, the issue of issues in forth, therefore, what he believes to be a Over it hover all the angers and Europe. considerable public opinion in that land, bitternesses associated with the lost German and the pres moratorium the Hoover about colonies, the Alto Adige, the Polish Corri ent financial crisis in Europe. dor, Gdynia and Danzig, war guilt, debts, There is a sizeable belief in France that and the rest. Is the Treaty of Versailles we are trying to play horse with her, our to be changed? That is the issue. se fiche de translation of "L'Am?rique it is charged that the treaty is nous." When French people understand that humiliating to Germany, to Austria, to President Hoover's activities may well work to the advantage of Germany; but many Hungary, it is replied that the Treaty of 1815 and the Treaty of 1871 were humili Frenchmen fail to see how they will be of see themselves ating to France; the Treaty of 1866 was help to France. The French to regal Austria; the Treaty of as more heavily taxed than any other humiliating Brest-Litovsk, of 1917, was humiliating to people. They live only by the strictest Poland. To the agitating minorities calling economy, giving up almost all luxuries and even comforts. Therefore, why, they ask, for revision of the treaties, it is pointed out should they pay for Germany's follies? twenty million dis in Europe before the Why shouldn't other nations help Germany in proportion to their actual resources? Treaty of Versailles, there are now less one hundred million of these disturb than When they are charged that the French are that while there were contented minorities ing portions of the populations.

courting bankruptcy for their enemies, they