UIHistories Project: A History of the University of Illinois by Kalev Leetaru
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Repository: UIHistories Project: Convocation - 1942 Winter-Spring [PAGE 33]

Caption: Convocation - 1942 Winter-Spring
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Principal Cam

of th< li n in Europe

39

ra\ I Europe. Bui in .1 rapidl) contracting world, where spaa and time shrivelled rapidly, it did nothing to play the part which its •n<Mh and its 1 joun es warranted. The ^sequence from the vantage point of 1942, wer< errifyin . for the future of Europe rested upon two for s, neither 01' which understood the impli itions of their policies. The German peopl< mained blind t » the menace of the native monsters who were al work < mong them t » betray the demo< ratic system. The Alii I stat( ;men, < onted with the alternatives of either strengthening German dene tc) « r of making pen', tly certain that a resentful, frustral I < I' >ple would hav( no opportunity to transmute its resentments and frustration into military strength, did neither. They stimulated 1 sentments and permitted these resentments to anchor them elves in owerful miliian bastions. There wen far visioned statesmen among both the < ><Tinans and the Allies who realized the tragic implication in the situation. The) pleaded thai a helping hand be reached out to the stru fling Weimar experiment so that government would not pa .

v default, into the h a n d s of d e s p e r a t e e x t r e m i s t s . But their coun Iran I

u s not a epted. The g

the Weimar Republic

I rearmament of Germany pro.

undermined; and

w ^ Systematically

England went about their business, neither making any attempt 1

rectii die g r i e v a n c e s of G e r m a n y nor sp< ding up their o w n r e a r m a ment to 1" p r e p a r e d to defend their victories if and when the show -

dou n ( ame. II.

It w a s in the midst of this confusion and f r u s t r a t i o n , that the Nazi

p< tileno

e n t e r ' I into t h e b l o o d s t r e a m of t h e G e r m a n people, I

On whol< nation and, a f t e r w a r d s , to t h r e a t e n the whole civili/ I v\ rid. A g] it deal of sentimental nonsense has b< n built Up about

Adolph Hitler. He has h n called a rare genius, a newer and greater Napoleon 1 brilliant leader of men. In fact, he is merely a Whirling Dervish of Hate, a cunning gangster who has risen from th< garbage cans of society, combining the ruthlessness of the paranoic with an

iimv sens* <>\ timing which has enabled him to exploit the w< k

nn<

a n d d i s u n i t y of the demo< ratic leaders. I lis p o w e r h a s l>< n built

n the f r u s t r a t i o n s of the little men of G e r m a n y , and n\\ the willing

of t h e j u n k e r s a n d t y c o o n s of G e r m a n y t<> utilize Ins i n t r a n s i n< 1 a means of diverting social revolution in German) int< national imperialism. Hitler's < irly ranting was nol taken eriously. His economii w <

< pot ; his so< lal vision w a s primitive, Bui the ( r m a u v o t e r s went

on playing the game and tall oi coalition ji di ;i in-'/. 1 ive oi in debt, all who w

oi "splinter" governments \dullam all • m distn

politics, watching resignedly the ri as the Nazi part) grew, drawing t who were di ontentcd, all who wci l\eii the German intellectuals did