Sut,—The statement made by Mr. E. Strauss in the issue
The Spectator of May 22nd, that " The Weimar Republic was to fail because it did not destroy this bulwark (the German bureau of reactionary power . . . " may be true. Whether it is, however' never be known. For it most certainly was not the German burea thich brought the Republic down. Otto Braun, who held the position Prime Minister of Prussia almost continuously for fourteen years, gibes the fall of the Weimar Republic to two quite different reasons. his book Von Weimar zu Hitler he says: " I am often asked by sliticians of other countries how the Hitler dictatorship came about in 'jemmy. To this question I have but one answer: Versailles and aoscow."
At the present time it is not considered good policy to press either of kse points. Yet, whether the Versailles Treaty was justified or not, old whether its provisions ought to have been more stringent, there is imple evidence to prove that the hardships it occasioned were skilfully %plaited by the Nazis. As for Moscow, Otto Braun shows repeatedly t the Communists were determined to wreck the Weimar edifice, ar • price. Here, again, the question is not whether their attitude was .fiable or not. Sociologically, the Weimar Republic may not have riled continued existence. But the Communists made a serious error en they assumed that the collapse of the Republic would inevitably n their ascent to power.
The mainstay of the Republic were the Social Democrats and their nghold was Prussia. Their enemies on the Left were the Com- mists, and, on the Right, the reactionary German Nationalists, the ]helm, and the National Socialists. It would have been reasonable have expected the Communists firstly to collaborate with the Social rats in beating the Right-wing reactionaries out of the field, ereas, as Otto Braun shows, they did the opposite. At the Prussian on in 1932, which finally sealed the fate of democracy in this largest German States, the number of mandates or seats secured by the five g parties was as follows: Nazis 162, Social Democrats 94, Centre 67, unists 57, German Nationalists 31. Although the Communists done most of the harm of which the Nazis were to allow them to capable, these results gave them one more chance of letting in, or ring the way, to Hitler. By combining with the Social Democrats the Centre against the National Socialists and German Nationalists y could have produced a majority of 218 against 193. Instead, they bined with the Nazis to overthrow the Democratic Government. What Otto Braun deals with is fact, what Mr. E. Strauss deals with is [This correspondence is now closed.—En., The Spectator.]
Previous page
