GERMANY: Regime of Dictators

The German Government has long warned the French that if they continued to occupy the Ruhr the Reich would become a prey to Bolshevism. The French Government always looked upon such an eventuality as a bugaboo. The German Government also said that they could not halt passive resistance, because public opinion was too strong. The French said:”Stop resisting before talking.” The German Government ordered passive resistance to stop and in the place of Bolshevism there have arisen two dictators, one for Bavaria and the other for the Reich.

Bavarian Dictator. Herr Doktor von Kahr, Minister President of Bavaria in 1921, was unanimously elected General Commissioner for Bavaria by the Ministerial Council. Herr Doktor von Knilling remained in name Minister President of Bavaria, but he is subservient to Doktor von Kahr in power and importance.

His Powers. The powers conferred upon General Comissioner von Kahr vested him with authority to call troops and to use troops, to arrest whom he chooses, to keep prisoners in jail without trial, to seize the property of persons declared to be enemies of the nation. The German Constitution was suspended as far as Bavaria was concerned—laws definitely suspended were: freedom of speech, press, assembly, telephone; secrecy of mail; secrecy and sanctity of person, dwelling and property. Habeas corpus was declared abolished.

Why Appointed. Late in August Chancellor Stresemann traveled to Munichto confer with Minister President von Knilling on the cessation of the passivierwiderstand. Dr. von Knilling unwillingly agreed to back the Federal Government but protested that the cessation of passive resistance should be a question for the Reich to settle and not a subject of discussion with the French and Belgians. In the meantime the Hitler Guards openly condemned German capitulation in the Ruhr and their leader, Adolph Hitler, ordered “grand maneuvers.” Dr. von Knilling seemed unable or unwilling to curb the temper of the Hitlerites, whose audacity knew no bounds. The Government Party became alarmed and the Ministerial Council elected Dr. von Kahr as Dictator.

His Record. Dr. von Kahr is a Monarchist to the marrow and pins his faith on the Wittelsbach dynasty, he himself being avowedly Crown Prince Rupprecht’s state agent. As Premier of Bavaria in 1921 he organized the famous Einwohnerwehr (Home Guards), which led to his resignation, because the Federal Government in Berlin professed to see in them a ” grave danger to the State.” He now declares that the Treaty of Versailles is dead and that the French killed it. “We have given up passive resistance, but we no longer recognize the Treaty of Versailles. The French themselves broke it; let the French do what they like.” In a recent speech he prophesied that ” Bavaria would soon bring about historical happenings in the world.” He ended his speech with hock’s for King Rupprecht of Bavaria. Dr. Von Kahr is reported a Separatist; that is, he believes in the secession of Bavaria from the Reich, although he denied such allegations.It seems, however, that he is playing a bigger game. It is rumored, not without good foundation, that he intends to promote the Wittelsbachs to the place in the sun left vacant by the head of the Hohenzollerns. Perhaps that is the reason why he telephoned to Berlin and assured the Government of his loyalty to the Reich. The chances of such a coup are on the face of it good. The Allies, confronted with a fait accompli, would hesitate to take any costly action against Germany; moreover, Prince Rupprecht is known to be a thoroughly trustworthy and practical man and as such is respected; he is also cousin of the Queen of the Belgians. The real barriers to the Wittelsbach aspirations lie in the fact that North Germany is Protestant and Bavaria Catholic; and that a Dictator has been appointed for the whole Reich, who will assuredly oppose strenuously any activity on the part of Rupprecht of Bavaria.

His Master. Amid scenes of great enthusiasm Crown Prince and Princess Rupprecht of Bavaria were hailed as King and Queen of Bavaria. The Prince was accompanied by Dictator von Kahr and many of the aristocracy. It was the first public appearance of the Dictator, and the occasion was a reunion and grand celebration of the veterans of the Leibregiment, the defunct Royal Bodyguard, disbanded by order of the Allies under the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty. Twenty thousand men responded to the roll-call of the regiment. It was pointed out that if 20,000 men answered the call of one regiment, it is reasonableto presume that 6,000,000 men of the defunct German Imperial Army would answer to a Monarchist bugle call. The event in Munich shows that the possibility of Prince Rupprecht being officially proclaimed König von Baiern (King of Bavaria) is not remote. Berlin circles had it that the Prince will bide his time until he can secure nomination as Kaiser over the whole Reich.

Reich Dictator. The setting up of a Dictator with wide powers to crush revolt is undoubtedly a protectionist policy. The rise of a Dictator in Germany was expected and was only a corollary of successive failures on the part of various Governments to deal with a complex internal situation aggravated by still more complex foreign relations and obligations. The political currents flowing against the sides of the Government barge were strong and numerous. There were the Monarchists, whose ranks were split by the Hohenzollern and Wittelsbach factions; the Communists, whose opposition to the Government was equal to that of the Monarchists; the Democratic and Center Parties, both of whom were a minus quantity so far as the Government was concerned. The cessation of passive resistance was an opportunity for the various Parties to get together (or to act separately) and overthrow the Government. The appointment of a military Dictatorship forestalled such moves. The Government had to take a strong stand to keep itself in power and, with this in view, made Dr. Otto Gessler Military Dictator of Germany.

His Record. The appointment of Bavarian Dr. Gessler to the post of Military Dictator of Germany, a position formerly filled with varying success by William of Hohenzollern, was made by President Ebert. Dr. Gessler was described as an opportunist. He has been in three successiveCabinets, each of which has had a separate policy: Wirth Government, pledged to paying reparations; Cuno Government, pledged to maintaining passive resistance and refusing to pay reparations; StresemannGovernment, pledged to seeking an exit from political, financial and economic depression. To each of these Governments the versatile Gessler has given his wholehearted support. He is considered an able orator and a strong man given more to suave diplomacy than to direct methods. His job now is to maintain order in Germany, to keep his weather eye cocked on Bavaria, particularly on Dr. von Kahr and Adolph Hitler.

Herr Hitler. Adolph Hitler is an Austrian who came into prominence after the murder of the Bolshevik Kurt Eisner in 1919. Since then his power has steadily been increasing, owing principally to the solid support he has received from the enigmatic General von Ludendorff. His principal role is that of Commander of the Hitler Guards or Bavarian Fascisti, a body apparently formed to take the place of Kahr’s Einwohnerwehr in fighting the Bolsheviki, but in reality to forward the Monarchist cause. Politically Hitler believes in the restoration of the head of the Hohenzollern dynasty as King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany, of the Wittelsbach dynasty as King of Bavaria. He is Anti-Secessionist, but wants Austria incorporated into the German Reich and a close alliance made with Hungary. Although Hitler has backed down in face of the opposition shown him by Dr. von Kahr, he will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in Bavaria, because his military and political organization is said to be perfect. An agreement with von Kahr is by no means unlikely.