Poland - Key To Europe (Paperback)

POLAND KEY TO EUROPE POLAND KET TO EUROPE by RAYMOND LESLIE BUELL SECOND EDITION, REVISED 1 9 3 g ALFRED . A KNOPF NEW YORK LONDON PREFACE WHEN I visited Poland in the early summer of 1938, I in tended to write only a report to be published by the Foreign Policy Association on the problems confronting that country. But these problems proved so complex, and so fascinating, that I decided to write a book. My decision was affected by the fact that, so far as I know, no other volume has yet appeared which endeavours to survey and analyse the problems of modern Poland in a sympathetic but scientific spirit. As a country which in fifteen years will have as large a population as France, Poland is important in itself. Its rise as one of the great powers of Europe during the later Mid dle Ages, its partition and disappearance in the eighteenth century, and its resurrection at the end of the World War constitute one of the most romantic chapters of history. But this history is still unfinished. Germanys growing power in Europe has once more made Polands future un certain. Although public opinion in the Western democracies is inclined to hold Poland responsible for its plight, this judg ment is too severe. Poland is confronted by two fundamen tal problems, the solution of which depends not on Poland alone, but on the international situation as a whole. These problems are security against foreign aggression and secu rity against internal want. Entering the world of commer cial rivalry only at the close of the World War, Poland finds itself barred from many foreign markets. It has the most rapidly increasing population in Europe, yet lacks the resources to provide a decent living on the basis ofself PREFACE sufficiency. Today at least a quarter of its people are liv ing close to starvation. If Poland could export enough of its agricultural and industrial products to industrialize the country, if it could borrow abroad, if it could continue to send out as many emigrants as before the World War, its economic problem might be solved. But because of eco nomic nationalism, the world economy on which the solu tion of such problems depends has almost disappeared. Po land cannot adequately develop its export trade it cannot find foreign loans its emigrants are no longer welcome in foreign countries. As a result of causes largely beyond its own control, Poland can no longer rely on a collective peace system for defence against aggression neither can it rely on a world economy to meet its fundamental economic needs. It is consequently forced more and more to live on a basis of autarchy, while internal maladjustments become intensified. In other countries economic nationalism of this sort has led to fierce anti-Semitism, countless refugees, political dic tatorship, and a terrifying imperialistic psychology. These symptoms have appeared from time to time in Poland, but in a far less acute form. It would be inaccurate to regard Poland as a Fascist state it has not succumbed to the to talitarianism of either Germany or Italy. Although it has adopted a number of measures indirectly injuring the Jew, Poland so far has refrained from enactment of the Nurem berg laws, or the numerus chums legislation of Hungary, despite the fact that it has the largest Jewish population in Europe. Through lack of wisdom the Western democ racies contributed to the overthrow of the German Repub lic and the riseof Hitler. The analogy is not complete, yet today a false appraisal of the Polish situation on the part of the Western powers may have almost equally disastrous re PREFACE VII suits. If the great democracies show a proper understand ing of the serious problems confronting Poland and make some effort to co-operate in meeting them, Poland may re main outside the totalitarian camp, and thus help to main tain the equilibrium of forces in Europe, which is important if Western civilization is to be saved...