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Henry Morgenthau, The German Character
Five chapters from Morgenthau’s book, Germany is our Problem, here published with an introductory note by Ellopos. Emphasis, in bold or italic letters, by Ellopos. Complete book in print.
52 Pages
Page 13
9. Nazi party and all its affiliates to be disbanded. But no one could prevent new organizations underground.
10. A democratic form of government to be given to Germany. However, by its very nature democracy cannot be given; it must be worked for by any people who achieve it. Furthermore, the imposition of a democratic form of government would saddle it with the blame for inevitable German hardships and make the very idea of democracy even more distasteful to Germans than it is now.
11. Germany's foreign assets to be turned over to this government and their use controlled by the Allies. That brings Germany back into participation in cartels or any other international business organizations and offers her a chance at new economic aggression.
12. Re-education of the German people by the United Nations. What educator would undertake to find the number of qualified teachers needed? What educator would make the unqualified statement that any foreign education can be imposed successfully upon sixty million people?
13. Occupation of Germany by Allied troops, especially Americans, for a period of years. If the troops stay long enough, they tend to absorb sympathy for the occupied territory or even the ideas of the people among whom they live. The memory of injury fades, and the desire of men to go home is always strong, so that probably the occupation would become more relaxed and finally end ahead of time, just as it did before.
14. Cession of important areas to neighboring countries and perhaps even partition of the balance. Well, we learned once how rapidly ceded areas can be taken back, along with more than the original loss, once a rearmed Germany is on the march. On those fourteen points, pessimism is justified. But fortunately there are other points. The wisdom and ingenuity of peaceful men in dealing with Germany was not exhausted between 1918 and 1939. There are ways of attaining the objectives for which we have fought, provided the objectives are not lost to view in a fog compounded of the mists of sentimentality and the soot of "practical diplomacy." Peace is our goal, peace in which the wonders of the modern world can be put to the service of man instead of to his destruction. For the first time in human history we know enough and are skillful enough to feed and clothe and house all the people of this earth. There can even be something over for fun and comforts and health. Only if we have peace, though, will these remain possibilities. So, first things first.
Before we can go forward to fulfill the promise of peace, the threat of war must be taken away from our backs. In our time, Germany has been the chief nation to make that threat seriously—with Japan a close second, of course—and Germany has put it into execution twice. A third time may well be fatal to civilization.
Cf. H. Arendt: totalitarianism reduces men to impersonal natural forces * German philosophers in support of Nazism * Beethoven and Mauthausen * The Superior Race of Germans * Kalergi, European Spirit must Precede Europe's Political Unification * La Construction de l'Europe selon Jean Monnet * Plan Fouchet * Mitterrand and Kohl urge European Political Union * Il Manifesto di Ventotene
