INTRODUCTION

pRACTICALLY all Germans, with the exception of the Minority Socialists, are agreed that when this war, provoked by Germany and Austria-Hungary, comes to a final settlement, somehow or somewhere Germany must be able to point to a gain, in order to prove that the huge agonizing effort was not made for nothing. There are, on the other hand, notable varieties of opinion in Germany as to the direction in which the gain is to be sought. The Pan- Germans declare that the thing that matters supremely is that Germany should annex more territory in Europe— especially the Flanders coast and the French mining-districts of Briey and Longwy. Unless Germany gets these, they say, she will have lost the war. A very large body of opinion, on the other hand, is strongly opposed to the “ Flanders politicians,” as Emil Zimmermann calls them in his book. This body of opinion stands for the formula “ no annexations ” —none, at any rate, in Europe. It says that even if the war were to end on the basis of the status quo in Europe, Germany would have won. It is often described as “Moderate” opinion, as against the Pan-German annexationists. It differs from the Pan-Germans also in internal politics. Pan- German opinion is mainly reactionary and anti-democratic ;

“ Moderate ” opinion is, generally speaking, in favour of democratic reform, of a government more representative of the people and more responsible to the people. Very often you may see utterances of “ Moderate ” circles in Germany,

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