News of the Week
THE German elections which took place last. Sunday resulted in a much more decided swing to the Left than anyone had expected. The Nationalists were shat-. tered. It is clear that the German people are not regret fully looking backwards but have turned their eyes away from every policy of the " mailed fist " order and from the Monarchy and wish to establish their Republic on a solid foundation. The far-seeing persuasiveness of. Herr Stresemann has triumphed, although his German People's Party has. lost: seven seats and he himself was defeated in Upper Bavaria. At the two elections of 1924 there was a tendency to rely upon the " firmness " and self-confidence of the. Nationalists to save the country from the shocks of French policy. in the Ruhr and the slump in the currency, Since then the German Govern- ment, though necessarily partlydependent upon the votes of the Right,. have most skilfully -and creditably Steered the German ship into calmer waters -without ever risking one of those mad actions against putative enemies which the Jingo extremists would have brought about if they had had their way. Germany has tried to make. the Reparations scheme work, is a willing partner in the Locarrio Treaties, and is a respected member- of the League. All these successes deserved recognition from the German democracy and they have received it. The Nationalists have lost thirty seats. The Socialists have gained twenty-one seats and now number 152 ; they are much the largest single party. The Communists have surprisingly increased their seats from forty-five to fifty-four ; the German People's Party is reduced from fifty-one to forty-four ; the Fascists who had fourteen seats in the last Reichstag have lost two. The Centre Party has lost seven. seats and now numbers 62. The Socialists are put in such, a strong position that though they cannot, of course, form a single-party Government they will hold a commanding position in a new Coalition. They are not likely to upset on any essential point the foreign policy of Herr Stresemann with which they have always agreed. They cannot be in doubt about the real feelings of the people on this subject as the Nationalists deliberately forced. foreign policy to the front in their electioneering campaign.
