THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY
JULY, 1918
THE GERMAN PRESS AND GERMAN OPINION
Attempts to gauge the public opinion of Germany from its newspapers lead to but qualified conclusions. Though the press of that country probably mir- rors the views of the people more accu- rately than many Americans imagine, it is by no means an infallible index of popular sentiment. The government censors military facts, discourages un- authorized discussions of military meas- ures, enforces courtesy usages in refer- ences to persons in high authority, and publishes a mass of what is known in Germany as tendenz literature, which is intended to shape the opinion of readers and to maintain national mo- rale. Nevertheless, the Berlin papers attacked the Prussian food administra- tion last winter quite as savagely as any American papers attacked the mis- takes of the War Department. Peace policies, economic measures, political reforms, and social movements are ar- gued with vehemence and abundant citation of facts. These facts are sometimes of a kind to encourage Germany's enemies. The Czechs are accused of disloyalty and charged with deserting en masse; an attempt of wealthy men to stipulate for food favors in return for loan sub- scriptions receives comment; soldiers VOL. 1S2- NO. I at the front are said to be refused fur- loughs unless they subscribe to the war- loans; the immense profits of au- tomobile-makers and other manufac- turers of military supplies are criticized, and comparisons are made to prove that the United States has succeeded better than Germany in checking the extortions of government contractors. Writers of standing publish sweeping condemnations of the bribery and other official corruption that has made enor- mous headway in the public service, on account of the temptations of war- speculation and the great changes of personnel forced upon the government by war-conditions. Depressing statistics find their way abundantly into the newspapers. A well-known authority publishes figures showing that two million fewer babies were born in the German Empire dur- ing the first forty months of war than during the last forty months of peace; precise data are given of the high mor- tality caused among the civilian popu- lation by deficient nourishment; statis- tics are printed indicating that the amount of land under cultivation in the Empire has decreased ten per cent since 1913; the breakdown of the rail- way system is ventilated by interviews with complaining shippers and manu- facturers; and budget deficits and in-
