A Glance Round Europe
Peace in Europe. By "Augur." (Selwyn and Blount. 3s. 6d.)
So many people become dull when they write about inter- national relations, but not the author of Peace in Europe. Like Mr. Norman Angell; lie has a gift for lucid exposition, and students of European conditions will be -all the better for reading this little volnine; "Augur's " journalistic training has taught hini the art.of -condensation, and in less than a hundred pages he manages to deal with the relations of Great Britain and France, with Germany, Poland, Italy and their problems, and he also provides us with a survey of the League of Nations.
Our quarrel with " Augur " is that he enters upon his task with too many prejudices.. We are constantly reminded that the author has an anti-Soviet complex, is definitely pro-Polish, and fails to understand Germany's point of
We do not know -whether the author has first-hand experience of conditions in. North America, but we think that he hardly understands that co-operation with the United States is the pivot of British foreign policy. To " Augur," the = Anglo-French Entente " remains the keystone of the arch of peace," but, while we give place to no one in our friendship for France, we do not believe that an Anglo-French entente by itself is strong enough to ensure lasting peace. To our mind, future wars can only be rendered impossible by:an entente between Great Britain, France, Germany, and' the United States, the object of which would be to strengthen the League of Nations by every possible means.
The author says that the German Chauvinist hates the British more than the French. We question the accuracy of this statement. But with his general argument as to the future treatment of Germany we are in entire sympathy. " It remains our sincere conviction that the unity of Europe cannot be achieved without the co-operation of Germany as an equal- partner." " Augur " regards Germany's entry into the League as bringing with ' it '" liberation from' 'ill restrictions imposed by force upon the freedom of a Sovereign State." Such recognition must imply the withdrawal of. Allied troops from Germany, the end to the limitation of German armaments, and the removal of any restrictions which interfere with her complete sovereignty. , The-sooner Germany is treated as an equal, the better for the peace ot Europe.
" Augur " is much concerned with Germany's relations to the Soviet or the Soviet Tsars, as he refers to the Bolshevist leaders, and apparently he would like all nations to cue off relations with Russia. But he is running his head up against a brick wall, for Germany and the other Northern nations have no intention of so doing. The problem of the Danzig Corridor is one of the most difficult in Europe, and in the interests of peace we think , that no premature attempts should be made to revise the conditions of the Peace Treaty;
that is not to say, however, that we do not think that Germany has a grievance, and we do not share " Augur's " apparent conviction that all the best arguments are on the Polish side.
With the plea advanced that Poland should be regarded as a Great Power we have much sympathy ; she occupies a key position in Eastern Europe, her population of thirty millions differentiates her from the smaller nations, and the cruel treatment to which she was subjected by her three powerful neighbours in the eighteenth century entitles her to special treatment. But admitting all this we think that to add to the number of Great Powers would involve us in many difficulties. What constitutes a Great Power ? If Poland is one, why not Spain ? The line of demarcation is at present clearly defined.
We note in passing that the author on page 59 says that " since the War, after the . re-establishment of its ancient link with Poland, Danzig has been gaining in prosperity by leaps and bounds." Is he quite sure of his facts ? When the present writer was in Danzig this summer he was informed that while its export trade was increasing, much of it con- - sisted of timber, coal and oil which only passed through '_ the port and which did not bring much benefit to its merchants: On the other hand, he learnt that Danzig's import and distributing trade had not yet reached its pre-War total. One of the most interesting, chapters in the book provides
- a survey of the League of Nations, and with the author's general arguments we are in agreement. We see no reason - to beat about the bushy, The League of Nations is a super- State, and if world peace is to be ensured through its instru-
• mentality, we believe that a general recognition of this fact
will be inevitable sooner or later. "Augur" thinks that Sir Austen Chamberlain's speech at the Assembly in September cleared the atmosphere. We agree it was certainly all to the good that the attention of the world should have been focussed on the constitution of the British' Commonwealth; which is a League within The League. Some day, there will probably be a series of regional understandings—the British Commonwealth group, a European group, a South
- American group, and an Asiatic group. But adherence to . these various regional groups need not in any way interfere with the support which the members of each group give to the League as a whole.
If " Augur " set out with the purpose of making his readers think out the whys and wherefores of present-day European political conditions he has succeeded. His book is full of suggestions and is thought-compelling even if some of his remarks may arouse opposition. The first essential to European stability is to get the man in the street to think out things for himself. Augur " helps him to do this, and
for that reason we hope the book will find a ready sale. J.
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