WHAT GERMANY STANDS FOR:
WHAT IF GERMANY SHOULD WIN?

A nation's character is judged, not by what its rulers or its people say, but by what that nation does. Actions speak louder than words. Therefore, if we wish to know what Germany stands for, we must first consider what Germany has been doing since the War began over four years ago.

Germany is a nation of soldiers. Every male German must serve at least three years in the army. As a result the military class in Germany is very powerful and practically controls everything. For forty years previous to the war their army had been idle and was becoming very restive. Germany stands for what we call MILITARISM.

You all know what we mean by a "bully" -a big, strong fellow who uses his strength to frighten, insult, and abuse those weaker ones who can do him no harm. He delights to torment the little fellows and to tyrannize over them. His motto is "Might is Right". Every manly boy hates a bully -Germany for forty years has been the bully of the smaller nations in Europe.

The war was begun by the attempt of Austria, Germany's ally, to bully little Serbia. Germany stood by and urged the other bully on. When, faithful to their promise, France and Russia came to Serbia's aid Germany ordered little Belgium to let the German armies pass through to attack France. To the everlasting honour and glory of Belgium, brave King Albert defied the bully. Then Germany invaded that little land and not only fought its soldiers but maimed, tortured, or even murdered the weak and unarmed men, women, and little children. The German soldiers acted worse than savages, wantonly plundering and burning the beautiful homes, villages, and cities of Belgium. Germany stands for TYRANNY!
Nations pledge their word to one another by what we call treaties. Great Britain's treaties are considered sacred and must be kept at all cost. Both Germany and Great Britain had promised, in case of war, to protect Belgium and to respect her rights. Therefore, when Germany attacked Belgium, we had to go to war. Germany acted treacherously toward Belgium. Germany stands for TREACHERY!

War, among civilized nations, is conducted by the soldiers of the countries at war. If Germany had fought fairly, we should still respect her. But what has Germany done? By the orders of her rulers a campaign of "frightfulness" has been waged during which the most awful atrocities have been committed, and thousands of innocent persons, including helpless women and little children, have been deliberately murdered. By means of submarines they have sunk peaceful unarmed merchant ships without warning, drowning passengers and crews; by their air-raids they have bombed defenceless cities and Red Cross hospitals; by starvation and torture they have murdered our wounded and prisoners who fell into their hands. Most fiendish of all they have, after promising not to do so, torpedoed and sunk our hospital ships, drowning or killing outright our wounded, our nurses, and our medical men. Remember that these crimes were committed BY THE ORDER OF THE RULERS OF GERMANY, EVEN OF THE KAISER HIMSELF! Remember Edith Cavell! Remember Captain Fryatt! Remember the LUSITANIA! Remember the LLANDOVERY CASTLE! Remember the murdered Belgians of Aerscbot and Louvain! Germany stands for ORGANIZED CRUELTY AND MURDER.

In addition to all this, Germany has treated the people of the conquered countries as slaves. The unhappy people have been seized without respect to rank, age, or sex and forced to work for their German masters in trenches, in factories, in mines, in forests, and in fields. Starved, beaten, and abused, they have been rounded up like cattle and marched away, often to districts hundreds of miles from their homes. By the brutal hands of rough German soldiers husbands have been torn from wives, parents from little ones. Women and children have actually been used as a screen to protect advancing German soldiers. Germany stands for SLAVERY.

Furthermore, the Germans have exacted huge sums of money from the countries they have ruined; have plundered houses and shops; stolen art treasures and furniture; destroyed churches and fine buildings centuries old; seized factories, and robbed and pillaged without mercy. Germany stands for ROBBERY
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These are but a few of the things for which modern Germany stands, and stands condemned in the eyes of the civilized world. An outlaw is a man whose crimes are so bad that he is outside the law, and may be shot at sight. Germany is the OUTLAW nation and must be treated as an outlaw. The only cure for the bully is a good dose of his own medicine.

What if Germany should win? God forbid! But if she did? Might would indeed be Right and Justice would be dead! Militarism would triumph and Liberty would be no more! Our sacrifices as a people and as individuals, in loved ones, in money, and in comforts, all in vain! France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, and the United States subject to Germany's will, Germany's ideals, and Germany's militarism! All the nations overburdened with debts and all payments to be made to Germany! No freedom for the little peoples, for Serbia, or Belgium, or Montenegro, or Roumania! All subject to German cruelty and tyranny! It is too awful to imagine!

So we must fight on till Germany cries "Enough". We must, as President Wilson says, fight "to make the world safe for democracy" -the rule of the people by the people and for the people. There can be no wavering and no retreat. The Premier of Great Britain, Mr. Lloyd George, said in an address the other day, in reply to 'those who advocate an early peace "by arrangement": "There is no compromise between freedom and tyranny, no compromise between light and darkness. I know that it is better to sacrifice one generation than to sacrifice liberty forever. That is what we are fighting for, and Heaven grant that we fight through to the end."

Source:  Chapter 3, The Canada War Book (1918)