Philosophical influences
Sir: Alice von Schlieffen criticises me (Let- ters, 7 June) for not replying to her claim made in April that 'where the Kaiser failed Kohl has triumphed' in achieving Ger- many's hegemony in Europe. In fact, it was just this claim that led me to suspect that Alice von Schlieffen was not Alice von Schlieffen (although, as P.G. Wodehouse remarked when discussing who wrote Shakespeare, maybe these letters were writ- ten by somebody else of the same name).
Germany is no doubt the leading eco- nomic power in Europe at present; but to describe this as hegemony, and to see the Schlieffen Plan in such nationalistic terms as Alice von Schlieffen, is to demonstrate a Weltanschauung which does not sit easily with the depth of knowledge and the intelli- gence with which she has argued her case in this correspondence; although, in qualifica- tion to that commendation, I have to point out that, had Ms von Schlieffen's research into my own background gone a little fur- ther, she would have noted that I have a degree in logic and I can see very well how almost any case can be constructed out of sufficient information, either to defend one's ancestor or to amuse oneself at the expense of more serious souls.
There was indeed in pre-1914 Germany the fear of encirclement and the need to prepare for the 'inevitable conflict' — and this may well describe Graf von Schlieffen's views. But there was also a wide belief in the 'necessity for struggle', which influ- enced General von Bernhardi. On the other hand I would certainly agree that it is a myth that `Prussianism' was responsible for the disasters of the first world war.
The old Prussian aristocrats were not at all keen on naval expansion and imperial ambitions, and (I think I am quoting Jonathan Steinberg) they regarded any change in the status quo as in some way a victory for democracy. This comes out also in Fontane in his Wanderings Through Mark Brandenburg. It was the liberal and mercan- tile classes which, at least in the first instance, were captured by the kind of manic nationalism which was quite well reflected in the Kaiser. What is perhaps surprising is that Graf von Schlieffen came up with a plan which was very much in line with this spirit, despite his Prussian back- ground. The Schlieffen Plan was a gam- bler's throw, whereas the elder Moltke might very well have maintained his origi- nal plan, which was (at least in the West) to stand within Germany's frontiers with his splendid army and await events.
As regards the philosophical influences upon German thinking, of course Darwin has affected the thinking in all nations. But it is not `liberal'-speak to point to the disas- ters which have flowed from the ideas of German philosophy. Hegel, for instance, influenced Marx directly and Adolf Hitler indirectly. You can't get much more influ- ential than that.
David Damant
Agar House, 12 Agar Street, London WC2
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