The PanGerman Plot Unmasked: Berlin's formidable peace-trap of "the drawn war"Chéradame, André
History
The PanGerman Plot Unmasked: Berlin's formidable peace-trap of "the drawn war"
Chéradame, André
Europe -- Politics and government -- 1871-1918; Pangermanism; World War, 1914-1918
_Measures tending to prepare the German colonization of the new
territories._ These have mostly consisted in applying the Pangerman
theory of _Evacuation_, that is, by systematically transporting the
unfortunate women or old people whom Germany considers absolutely useless
in her future possessions. She found it, for instance, very convenient
to rid herself without delay of these poor creatures especially when
the question of feeding them cropped up; so these “useless mouths” were
promptly transferred to the shoulders of the enemy, whom Germany already
looked upon as vanquished. That is the theory of _Evacuation_, which
explains to a large extent why the German authorities have sent back to
France that part of the populations of the occupied territories in France
and Belgium whom, on exact inquiry, they regarded as human wastage.
* * * * *
No doubt, as is shown on map (p. 46), Germany did not at the beginning
of 1916 occupy quite all the territories she coveted. She missed Calais,
Belfort, and Verdun, but it is easy to see that she did so only by a
hair’s breadth.
The Western territories which were to enter into the Germanic
Confederation of the 1911 plan include:
Square Kilometres.
Holland 38,141
Belgium 29,451
Luxemburg 2,586
French Departments 50,271
-------
Total 120,449
Now Luxemburg and Belgium were entirely occupied (excepting a patch of
Belgium). If Germany was to hold Belgium, Holland, which is not occupied,
but which is geographically invested, would inevitably be forced to enter
into the Germanic Confederation. We must, therefore, consider Holland
as being virtually under Germany’s thumb. As, on the other hand, out of
50,271 square kilometres which she wished to annex at the expense of
France, Germany, at the beginning of 1916, occupied 20,300, we conclude
that the German enterprises in the West, which, according to programme,
ought to have comprised 120,449 square kilometres, in point of fact
extended directly or indirectly over 90,478 square kilometres.
Germany therefore, early in 1916, had achieved in the West an occupation
foreseen by the plan of 1911 and at the expense of non-Germans in the
proportion of 76% or three-fourths.
II.
The Pangerman plan of 1911 had provided for the permanent exclusion of
Russia as a great power by means of two measures:
1º. To carve out of the Empire of the Tsars and annex to the German
Confederation a slice of territory large enough to cut off Russia
entirely from the West.
2º. To constitute at the expense of Russia, thus reduced, new States
which should bow the knee to Berlin.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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