GERMANY. By G. P. Gooch. (Ernest Benn. 15s. net.)
THE " Modern World " series, in which Dr. Gooch's volume appears, is described as " a survey of historical forces." His book answers to the description, for it brings out very clearly the main forces at work in Germany immediately before, during, and since the War. Dr. Gooch is exceptionally well informed about German politics and German thought, and he writes so dispassionately that he may shock some English readers. It is all the more noteworthy, therefore, that he
takes a gloomy view of the prospects of the German Republic. " A Hohenzollern Empire is unlikely to reappear, but a con- stitutional King of Prussia is by no means an impossibility." The Socialists alone would oppose a monarchy, and their strength is waning. " The battle of democracy at any rate is not yet won, and the destiny of the Republic depends far more on the attitude of its neighbours than on the theoretical principles of its citizens." Dr. Gooch's conclusion is virtually identical with the views often set forth in these columns, and his reasoning demands close attention. He devotes a most valuable chapter to " Capital and Labour." The great indus-
trialists have, he says, become predominazt since the War.
On the other hand, the new Works Councils are functioning well, the Federal Economic Council has done good service to industry, and the relations between the employers and the Trade Unions are on the whole friendly. It can hardly be doubted that these facts help to explain Germany's recent success in competing with our shipbuilders—a success which will not be the last of its kind. The one thing that we miss in the book is a due appreciation of the part played by the Prussian Civil Service since the War in keeping the ship more or less on the same course. The Prussian judges, for example, who arc virtually Civil Servants, have shown a determination to repress anti-monarchical sentiments, and it is often hard to believe, in reading of their decisions, that Germany has cast off the Hohenzollerns.
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