West German Youth
THE mere fact that the Communist Youth Rally in East Berlin has provided so much food for thought in the United Kingdom ought to provide additional food for thought on the same subject in West Germany. Unfortunately, however, there is a certain tendency within the Federal Republic to under-estimate what is happening to youth in the Soviet Zone of Germany. The general line of propaganda in West Berlin and in Bonn maintains that the vast majority of -East Germans are as violently opposed to the Soviet regime as the West Germans, that they hate and despise their Communist oppressors. and that they long desperately for liberation, for democracy and for a free, united Germany. Such statements are quite true as far as the older generation is concerned. But, alas, East German youth presents a different picture. No wishful thinking and no propaganda can alter the fact that the Soviet rulers and their German henchmen have gained a considerable hold on the young Germans in- the East Zone.
The Communists know what they want, and they are biding their time. They are concentrating on youth because they realise that most of the older people are past converting anyway. If they succeed in capturing so many thousands of Germans in the youngest age-group every year, and if so many thousands of Germans in the older age-groups die a natural death during the same period, it is merely an arithmetical problem to calculate how long it will take to Sovietise the entire population of the East Zone. It is this almost mechanical process of Sovietisation which constitutes the greatest danger to the unity of Germany in the long run. Both the armed and the unarmed " people's police" in the Soviet Zone are far less dangerous. Successful propaganda provides more power for the totalitarian State than mere terror. And the Communists are unquestionably vastly superior to Hitler and the Nazis in their methods of influencing and capturing the young. It is not simply a change from brown shirts to blue shirts. Whoever had a chance to see the film Be Prepared ! made by the Communists during the Whitsun Youth Rally in 1950 could not help feeling that these young people, marching, playing, singing, were thoroughly enjoying themselves. The Communists are masters of the art of mass-psychology. They appeal to the good and noble instincts of the young. to their love for friendship and for peace. They give them something to live for, not to die for. And although the young are transformed into mass-particles still more than under Hitler, they do not know it. They are deceived' into believing that they themselves are contributing to a cause, to a great and holy cause.
As long as the totalitarian system continues in the East Zone of Germany it will be almost impossible for West Germany to counteract this huge deception of youth with any notable success. But there is one consolation. Totalitarianism can capture youth. But when the system is overthrown from without, it leaves nothing behind but emptiness, disillusionment, despair. Democracy can survive a defeated democratic government in the hearts of the citizens, totalitarianism dies with its central power. Hypnosis needs the hypnotist. So, after a downfall of the Com- munist regime in the Soviet Zone, even the young will cease to remain fanatical Communists.
This gives a clue as to what is to be done at present in the Federal Republic. First of all it must be borne in mind that Communism as a mass movement is in no way a danger in West Germany, either to the old or to the young. The Communist " Free German Youth " organisation, before it was banned by the Federal Government, had about 30,000 members in the Federal Republic. This compares with more than 3,000,000 members of various democratic youth organisations. To ban the " Free German Youth," a mere branch of the central organisation in the Soviet Zone and receiving its orders from there, was a well-considered move. The general conceiPtion in the new German democracy is not to tolerate her deadly enemies. Ultra- democratic tolerance killed the Weimar Republic, and this muse not happen again. There was no indignation in West Germany, contrary to the attitude in the United Kingdom, when members of the banned Communist youth organisation were stopped on their way to the East Berlin Rally at the zone border.
Even if there were an acute Communist danger in West Germany, it would be altogether mistaken to attempt to beat the Soviets at their own game. A democracy cannot compete with totalitarianism -by setting mass propaganda against mass propaganda, mass demonstrations against mass demonstrations, mass enthusiasm against mass enthusiasm. All this is neither' possible nor desirable,' for the simple reason that democracy, regards, and must regard, the human being as an individual within, the community and not as a mass-particle. This is all the more! true, since there is no acute Communist danger in West Germariy.1 So imitation is out of the question. It would be useless to have a West German Youth Rally comparable in any way to that in East Berlin. It would be not only useless but suicidal to organise anything resembling a State Youth, a unitary youth movement of any sort. Democracy cannot " capture," " hold." or " have " the young as a dictatorship can. All these words change their meaning within the framework of democracy. So does " driving power " ; so does " ideal." It is a hopeless task to look for something that could mobilise youth like Hitler's nationalism or Stalin's Communism. Democracy cannot invent " ideals " beyond its own somewhat sober vocabulary. But there is in fact one ideal which genuinely appeals to youth on the European Continent, and especially in West Germany. That is the ideal of a United Europe. To break down national frontiers, to create new opportunities, new contacts and friendships, to build something of a truly supra-national magnitude, all this inspires German youth with new hope and confidence. Even a comparatively small thing like the plan to create a special youth- passport which would enable all those under twenty-five to cross West-Etdopean frontiers without a visa is extremely popular in West Germany. The international youth meeting on the Lorelei.' Rock was also a move in the right direction. So are the different activities for youth sponsored by the International European Movement. A new European community spirit is growing in West Germany and in other countries of the Continent. It must not be disappointed. Apart from this, the Federal Government has sponsored the Federal Youth Plan. Fifty-three million marks (approximately 4} million pounds) have been set aside annually for this purpose in the Federal budget. The money is used for subsidies to demo- cratic youth organisations, for the creation of youth-hostels for the many homeless and fatherless youths in Germany in the neighbourhood where they are or might be employed, and also for the building of apprentice-workshops in order to provide training for those who cannot obtain an apprenticeship on leaving school. Youth-periodicals in Germany and international youth- exchange are also among the projects financed by the Federal Youth Plan. The German Under and municipalities are spend- ing considerable sums for similar purposes. All this is no more than a small beginning in a country where there are still numerous unemployed, homeless and fatherless youths. especially among those evicted from the provinces East of the Oder-Neisse Line. It is a huge task to offer hope and opportunity to all the young in West Germany. But it is a task of paramount importance. The younger generation in West Germany has shown a certain tendency to keep aloof from politics since 1945. Their " re- education " was not as simple a matter as the occupying Powers at first believed it to be. It is somewhat difficult to make democracy popular in an occupied country. Love of liberty springs from the experience of liberty. Loyalty to a democratic Government springs from the confidence that the young will be given a fair chance. Efforts in this direction will have to be increased considerably in the near future. Germany is poor. But the money to finance a far bigger youth programme than the one now under way will have to be found. This must include better education, games and sports and other youth activities, The budget of a modern democracy must set aside far greater amounts for the benefit of youth than heretofore thought feasible. True competition with the -dictatorships lies in the direction of offering the young a more harmonious life, a life in which at the same time liberty can be breathed and social -justice can be experienced.
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