User:Julio974fr/The Central European Union
 | This is mostly a machine translation with a few manual corrections, and the person who created this is not a native german speaker, please do not move to article space without a thorough re-read with the source de:Die Unionisierung Mitteleuropas |
The Central Europe Union!
A guide to lasting peace
Drafted and edited by
P. A. M.
Translation rights reserved
Vienna 1920.
Self-published by the author
Printed by Otto Maaß' Söhne, Ges. m. b. H., Vienna, 1. Wallfischgasse 10.
Foreword
The greatest struggle between nations of all time, the great world war, lasted more than four sorrowful years. The Central Powers were defeated in this bloody battle. They were the losing side and were treated by the winning side in the peace treaties of Versailles, St. Germain and Neuilly as if they had been defeated by a hateful opponent. The conditions were infinitely harsh, and compliance with them required almost superhuman strength and constant iron diligence with indomitable willpower. Germany and Bulgaria were cut down to size and suffered significant territorial losses, while Turkey and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy were dealt the death blow. The once world-dominating Habsburg dynasty, in whose empire the sun never set, disappeared from the throne overnight along with the other dynasties. From the ruins of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, nation states emerged, new entities formed from what the rulers of Europe considered to be formerly oppressed, now liberated nations.
Does anyone really seriously believe that the consequences of the peace treaties concluded so far have ensured eternal peace? Does anyone really seriously believe that the consequences of the present peace agreements have put an end to the revanchism of the individual ethnicities? Certainly not one—no one, if he is allowed to express his opinion freely and uninfluenced. In my project, the national states will be torn apart, but nevertheless brought under one roof, as it were, by creating sub-regions in which, through or with time, all nations will be merged, a new breed of people will emerge that contains all the good and noble aspects of each individual present nation, in which not, as hitherto, hatred of nations but love of nations prevails and thus gives happiness and blessing to all those who are counted among the united nation.
In the following essay, I will explain how I envisage the implementation of what I have just explained using the attached map.
Implementation.
In the following, after brief general remarks, the borders of the Union as well as those of the neighboring countries, the capital, the colonies, the constitution, the military, the land reform and the social question in the future unified state of Central Europe, as I conceive it, will be dealt with in detail.
General.
In the state of the future, a spirit of mutual understanding, of mutual working help, of love for the people must prevail in all citizens of the unified state. The unity of language, of the measurement of time, of postal and other signs of value, as well as that of the means of payment, of money, of weights and measures, must actually exist under all circumstances.
"One flag, one language, one country, one nation!" is also the guiding principle in the unified state of the future. The victors and the vanquished, the oppressors and the oppressed each have an equal right to live. Free from all inhibiting constraints, the whole should merge into one, should become one, and yet the individual personality should also be able to develop and unfold for the benefit of the state as a whole. Whereas in the past the Latin language was the language in which scholars from the various corners of the earth communicated with each other, I am thinking of replacing it in the future state with "Esperanto", the modern world language. Immediately after the creation of the unified state, all teachers must attend courses aimed at the rapid and thorough learning of this unified language. If the teaching staff are fully proficient in Esperanto, the teaching of this language should be vigorously pursued in all schools and should begin immediately.
Half of the available teaching time would have to be used for a thorough study of Esperanto, the other half would be used for the subjects and the mother tongue. The subject of religion, however, is to be taught in the mother tongue until further notice.
Since, in 25 years after the creation of the unified state, every citizen of the Union will certainly already have mastered Esperanto through their schooling, this language can be introduced as a command language in the armed forces. After a further 20 years, that is after one human age from the birth of the future unified state, Esperanto can be introduced as the language of the state.
At this point in time, the manufacture of new national suits (costumes) will be prohibited by law; however, the wearing of existing ones will continue to be permitted.
Again after five years, i.e. 50 years after the creation of the Union, a general vote shall be held on whether the mother tongue should continue to be taught. If a religious community later demands that the church service should also be held in Esperanto, this request must be taken into account.
It is obvious that, in addition to the language, the unity of time must also be implemented. The present Western, Central and Eastern European time must disappear, and that of St. Stephen's must be the only one used everywhere in the vast regions of the Union.
Even though each canton will have its own colors, which are intended to be those of the respective cantonal capital, only one Union flag is common, the color and shape of which can be seen on the map.
One side of the Union flag with the four crossed hands symbolizes the national fraternity of the four recognized nations, the other side symbolizes religious freedom and the practice and recognition of every religion within the framework of the Union.
All postage stamps, postmarks and other stamps are illustrated in the same way with the Union badge, but in the individual cantonal colors.
There is certainly no need to explain that uniform coins and uniform paper money must also be common practice in the future unified state.
I plan to introduce the dollar currency.
Paper money would be issued in notes of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 1000, 10,000. The larger notes 100, 1000, 10,000 bear the portrait of the first President of the Union, those with a lower value are to be made without it.
The smaller notes are to be put into circulation immediately after the merger, those over 100 dollars only after 10 years, because at this time the portrait of the fourth "Union President of the first rotation becomes known, therefore the notes with the fourth Presidents can be put into print.
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Obverse:
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Reverse:
The picture below briefly outlines the type and design of the banknotes I have in mind. One side shows the portraits of the first four presidents of the Union and at the same time embodies the four main nations. The value of the note is also shown in words in the native language of the twelve largest nations. The reverse side also shows the value of the note in the middle and symbolizes the main professions of mankind by framing them in pictures. Similarly, portraits of girls from the smallest of the four main nations are to be placed in the four corners. The spaces in between are to be intricately illustrated to make imitation impossible.
The Union's Ministry of Finance decides on the issue of precious metal coins and divisional coins:
Once all borders that currently exist have been declared null and void by the unification of all states into a single state, and trade is therefore completely free, the current enormous difference in currency values will automatically be balanced out. The victorious states will have ceased to exist as such, so there will no longer be any differences in the measurement of currency values. Once this time has come, nothing will stand in the way of the general levy on wealth and it will be introduced. With its help, the damage caused by the war will be made good. Both the victors and the vanquished contribute equally. The Union Ministry of Finance determines the type and amount of the levy and when it is to be implemented.
The borders of the unified state and the neighboring countries.
The borders of the unified state can be easily seen from the enclosed map.
The future unitary state is divided into twenty-four cantons, which are named after their capitals.
These are:
| 1. Paris, | 9, Krakau, | 17. Belgrad, |
| 2. Brussels, | 10. Pinsk, | 18. Sarajevo, |
| 3. The Hague, | 11. Lviv, | 19. Zagreb, |
| 4. Hamburg, | 12. Kaschau, | 20. Graz, |
| 5. Berlin, | 13. Odessa, | 21. Marseille, |
| 6. Wroclaw, | 14. Budapest, | 22. Milan, |
| 7. Königsberg, | 15. Bucharest, | 23. Geneva, |
| 8. Warsaw, | 16. Szeged, | 24. Munich. |
Although the individual boundaries of the cantons are shown in a straight line in the drawing, in reality they run, as far as possible, between the existing city and municipal boundaries away from the Union capital of St. Stephen, towards their irrevocable end or starting point. Deviations of more than 5km are to be avoided during implementation.
The exit points of the individual cantons on the coast are to be marked by obelisks, similar to the current base end points.
The border of the overall unitary state, insofar as it is not naturally determined by the sea, runs as follows:
From Flensburg in Denmark to the west horizontally. The property falling north of this imaginary line falls to neutral Denmark, which assumes the role of present-day Switzerland, whose territory is incorporated into the Union. The Union's eastern border begins 10 km east of Riga on the Baltic Sea, crosses the Daugava 2 km to the south, then runs along the west side of the river to the point where the Daugava comes closest to the Dnipro, then continues south along the west side of the Dnipro to Kiev. From the western bank of the Dnipro, south of Kiev, the borderline continues straight to Yelizavetgrad, from there directly south between Nikolayev and Kherson into the Gulf of the Black Sea. This sea forms the border as far as Mangalia, which then runs along the Dobruja border south of Mangalia to Silistria, up the Danube to Vidin, or Negotin. From here it follows the course of the Timok up to Knjaževac, then runs west to Alexinac, from here down the eastern Morava to the confluence with the western Morava, along its southern bank to Karonayac, from here up the Ibar to Mitrovica, then along the Ibar tributary flowing in from the west to the old border of Montenegro, then along this to the Adriatic. At Ravenna, the Union border enters the Apennine Peninsula and heads almost straight towards Pisa. (Ravenna and Pisa remain border towns of the Union.) Following the Arno, it enters the Mediterranean at the mouth of this river, only to leave it again at Port-Bou, in line with the current French-Spanish border. At Fuentarabia, the Bay of Biscay, then the Manche Channel and the North Sea, becomes the Union border until it reaches the mainland again south of the southern tip of the island of Sylt to meet Flensburg in a horizontal direction (the city itself remains with the Union).
As already mentioned, the area north of Flensburg falls towards the southern tip of the island of Sylt: The territory north of the almost horizontal line drawn from Flensburg to the southern tip of the island of Sylt falls to Denmark.
The Principality of Monaco, like all small states, is dissolved, but the world-famous casino is transferred to the island of Corsica, which remains part of the Union.
The Apennine peninsula is thus divided into three parts. North of the Ravenna-Pisa-Arno estuary line, the "Central European" Union exercises its rights; the area south of this line as far as the narrowest point in Calabria, the line: Sybaris—horizontal towards the west as far as the Mediterranean, is assigned to the Pope as the "Papal States". The rest of the peninsula and the island of Sicily fall to Greece, Spain receives Sardinia.
On the Balkan peninsula, Turkey remains with the borders established in 1914. Bulgaria's western border runs along the Struma River and ends at the Gulf of Orfano. Southern Serbia is united with Albania to form a single empire.
The Norman Islands and Heligoland join the Union.
Norway receives the Kola Peninsula. The border runs here: from the southern point of Norway's current border at Pasvik Elf in a straight line to the middle of Lake Imandra, from here horizontally south of the Umpteli Heights to the river 50 km from Lake Imandra, which flows into the Gulf of Kandalashka. Sweden has a harbor in this gulf as an exit to the sea. The Swedish southern border therefore runs horizontally eastwards from Toruda to the White Sea in what is now northern Russia, so that 200 km of the sea coast there comes into Swedish possession. From this coastal point, Finland's border runs along the outflow of Lake Vygg to the latter, then meridionally through Lake Onega, immediately north of the Svir River to Lake Ladoga, through the latter in a straight line to Wiborg, where it ends in the Gulf of Finland.
Everywhere there, especially in the east and south-east, a 50 km wide border strip is intended as a military frontier to protect against the possible invasion of Asian peoples and cultural subversives. This area will be populated by healthy, strong soldiers from other nations. They are given land for free cultivation, but must have served in the army for two years and, if single, enter into a national mixed marriage. Those who are already married have preference. This is the only condition for remaining on the land.
The population currently residing there must also enter into mixed marriages. If they do not wish to do so, they must change their property inland within 20 years of the founding of the Union, with the assistance of the state real estate offices.
The government must promote settlement by providing cheap building materials, machinery and equipment. The state pioneers (second year of military service) can be used for this construction work as well as for all work that contributes to the improvement and beautification of the country.
The purpose of the foregoing is to merge the character traits of the nations. The diligence, perseverance, thoroughness and conscientiousness of the Northerner should unite with the cheerfulness, lively imagination, joie de vivre and zest for life of the Southerner.
The straits of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles, the Bosporus, the Suez Canal and the territory of Aden, under the protection of all European states, are declared neutral. The payment of ship dues and customs duties of any kind shall therefore be abolished, since the freedom of the seas is one of the fundamental conditions for the existence of the Union of Central Europe.
The capital.
The wedge-shaped division of the entire territory of Central Europe was carried out by me as the most advantageous and fairest solution only in order to settle the questions of disputed territories for ever.
Through it, Alsace-Lorraine, Posen, Teschen and Trentino will disappear as disputed territories, and the German-Bohemian, German-Western Hungarian, Szekler-Magyar and Balkan questions will be solved and buried forever.
The cantonal wedges meet at one point in the Union capital "St. Stephan",
I imagine it as a large, spacious garden city, hygienically laid out and developed in an exemplary manner.
A large ring-road forms the outer boundary line. It has the following border: Floridsdorf—inside the railroad to Gänserndorf, Tiheben-Neudorf, Blumenau, Weidritsthal near Preßburg, which it crosses like the Danube to head for Kittsee (the town falls within the circular road). From Kittsee it takes the direction of Zürndorf, Gols, Bodersdorf, which communities it includes, translates in the further course the Neusiedlersee in the direction south of Oslop, then it includes Eisenstadt, Groß-Höflein, Müllendort, then goes north of Ebenfurth, Siegersdorf, west of Tattendorf, east of Traiskirchen in the direction of Guntramsdorf, Laxenburg, east of Mödling (the town itself is excluded) via Atzgersdorf, Hietzing, towards Ottakring, Hernals, Währing, Döbling, Nußdorf to Floridsdorf.
This ring-road boundary just described is shown in a circle on the map for ease of reference only; in reality it runs as indicated. The railroad lines that run just outside the outer circular route indicated can be used as a circular route without further ado.—Only the extension of the following lines remains to be completed: Traiskirchen-Ebenfurth-Müllendorf-Groß-Höflein-Eisenstadt-Oslop-Rosalienkapelle-Neusiedlersee-Bodersdorf-Gols-Zürndorf-Kittsee-Donautibersetzung-Weidritzthal. There it connects to the existing railroad.
Within this ring-road, the town is to be encircled by a row of houses. Canton gates are to be built in this circle wherever the canton peaks meet with their centers. These 24 canton gates are completely identical, but bear the coat of arms of the corresponding canton capital in the keystone on both sides. The cantonal gates are built at the expense of the cantonal capital. Each cantonal gate has three openings. In the middle is the space for general foot and carriage traffic; the right and left arched openings, which are smaller in size, are used partly for rail traffic on the right and partly for streetcar traffic on the left. Thus, these openings are also the entrances to the main rail lines leading to the cantonal capitals and to the Ringbahn, each entrance road from the cantonal gates further on has to be extended in a straight line towards the Union's founding monument.
For air traffic, a large airfield, modern with all the associated facilities, will be built for the convenience of passengers as well as for possible freight and mail traffic, and the one at Aspern and the one on the Simmeringer Haide will be expanded.
The city plan of Karlsruhe was exemplary for the expansion of the Union capital.
The incidental center of the Union's capital city skyline is north of the Danube—south of Mannersdorf and Orth. At this point, the mighty, artistically flawless founding monument of the Union rises as a permanent symbol of the union of all. On a raised pedestal, it bears the statues of the four first Presidents of the Union, facing the four main regions of the world, while below them, in a circle, are the statues of the 24 first cantonal presidents. The cost of this giant monument is borne by the Union.
In order to make this work of art stand out, the surroundings of the monumental building must be artistically landscaped. These costs, as well as those of planting the ring-road with avenue trees, will also be borne by the Union.
All towns and municipalities within the specified city limits, as well as all towns and municipalities 50km outside the city limits, are to be obliged to expand the ring of houses over a period of ten years according to their tax capacity. These building plots for the outer ring of houses are to be made available to the builders by the government free of charge and will naturally become the property of the builders. The building plots within the city are to be categorized and by law no one is to have a property of less than one or more than five yokes. Only one third of each property may be built on, the rest remains garden or field land. This provision means that the population is required to produce a large proportion of the food they needed themselves, making them partially independent of the outside population.
Only the municipality may own more than five yokes. However, this municipal property must be used for playgrounds, recreational areas, sports fields, parks, stadiums, sanatoriums, workers' recreation homes, forest schools, dormitories, etc. Sports grounds for the most important outdoor games that promote the general health of the people must be laid out at every school. Furthermore, care must be taken to ensure that lessons can always be held outdoors in the summer. The schools, as places of public education, shall be so arranged that one tenth of their number of pupils can find complete boarding and lodging at state expense. These boarding schools are primarily intended for those children who have to be taken away from their parents and for migrant gypsies. This also eliminates the gypsy question. Such children are to be placed under state protection and supervision until the age of 20.
Gypsy parents who then fail to adjust to the new situation are simply to be expelled from the Union territory forever.
The fact that as many forest schools as possible are of immense value for the physical development of young people must be unreservedly admitted by anyone who knows the benefits of the strong, fresh forest air on the respiratory organs.
Businesses that produce heavy smoke, pervasive odors or are very noisy will not be tolerated in the Union capital. If such establishments exist, they must be relocated outside the city within a period of 30 years.
For this reason, it would be decidedly advantageous if the steam power of the railroads outside the city gates were to be replaced by electric power.
Blocks of houses would also have to be built in the street plan, for example all around the streets. However, the houses themselves should not be built over 25m high, so as not to take away too much air and light, the essential living elements of the plant world, for the gardens inside the block.
Both the Danube and the March, each with numerous smaller tributaries, run through the capital's soft landscape. There are certainly enough places available that would be suitable for the construction of large-scale harbor facilities, some main and some secondary harbor.
The northern part of Lake Neusiedl also falls within the city limits. It was developed in the Venetian style and was named the Venice district. As Lake Neusiedl is at most 1⋅5 m deep, it is only suitable for light craft and will soon become the sports and recreation area for young and old in summer and winter due to its plentiful, safe bathing opportunities.
Like the Union, the Union capital itself is divided into 24 independent municipal districts. It is autonomous and has its own municipal administration. Each district has its own public office buildings, and the capital itself has the official buildings that are absolutely necessary for the administration of the entire unitary state, which must be constructed or laid out according to the latest principles.
All other details are determined by the magistrate.
It is expected that a large influx of foreigners will soon set in. However, the authorities must ensure that no nation gains the upper hand through numerical superiority. Therefore, precise records of all residents and those settling in.
The colonies.
All the colonies of the countries within the Union are to become common property, as it is better to have everything contiguous, territorial exchanges would be necessary.
England agrees to recognise all neutral territories in the straits, ceding the island of Cyprus to Turkey in return for the large Sunda Islands from Holland and Massua, Erythraea and the Italian Somali Land from Italy.
The Union cedes Madagascar to Portugal. Possible monetary compensation.
Portuguese Ontafeika would be given to England, which in return would cede its possessions on the Gulf of Guinea in Upper Guinea, British Guinea (at the mouth of the Gambia, capital Bathurst), Sierra Leone (capital Freetown), the Ashanti region and the province of Nigeria on the lower Niger to the Union.
A further mutual advantage would be the exchange of territory between Portuguese West Africa and German South-West Africa, which would establish the territorial connection to the future Union colony. Possible monetary compensation.
As already mentioned with the neighbouring countries of the Union, Spain receives the island of Sardinia. In return, it cedes its African possession Rio d'Oro and the territory of Bata on Corsico Bay, an enclave of the French Congo, to the Union in exchange for possible monetary compensation.
The French Somali land, with the exception of that part which falls within the neutral straits of Aden, is incorporated into England.
Thus the Union, England, Portugal and Abyssinia, which remains the pearl in the shell as before, are the masters of the black continent, in which Tripoli falls to England, whose Egyptian possessions are thereby extended to the west.
The American possessions of the French and Dutch, as well as their front and rear Indian possessions, fall to the Union.
Through the possession of the colonies, the Union is in a position to obtain directly from its own possessions the raw materials which it absolutely needs for processing and for the manufacture of large quantities of cultural products, which in turn must logically lead to the general cheapening of these products for all without exception. The overall welfare, the cheapening of colonial goods, the cheapening of goods produced from colonial raw materials, is thus promoted in an excellent way by colonial ownership.
The constitution.
The President of the Union stands at the head of the future unitary state. He is elected by all citizens of the Union by a majority vote. Only four nations are recognised in the entire Union: Romans, Germans, Slavs and Magyars. Each of these nations, with the exception of the latter, is divided into different families of peoples, all belonging to the same tribe of the nation. Thus the Romans are divided into French, Italians, Romanians— the Germans into Prussians, Bavarians, Dutch, Saxons, Austrians, Tyroleans, etc.— the Slavs into Poles, Czechs, Moravians, Ruthenians, Croats, Serbs, etc.
The President of the Union remains in office for three years. He must come from a different nation in each electoral term. The Romans begin with the French—the first President of the Union is therefore French—followed by the Germans, namely a Prussian, then a Slav, namely a Pole, then a Magyar completes the first rotation. He is followed by another Roman, but this time an Italian, followed by a German from the Bavarian ethnicity, followed by another Slav from the Czechs, followed by another Magyar and so on. Each ethnicity has its turn, each nation finds its right.
Every Union citizen over the age of 20 who is neither convicted nor mentally retarded or illiterate can vote. Both sexes can go to the ballot box, but wives are not entitled to vote, only widows or unmarried people over the age of 20 are entitled to vote, provided they have no criminal record, are mentally retarded or illiterate; in the military, only officers from captain upwards are entitled to vote. The crew is not entitled to vote during their service in the line.
The reason why wives are not entitled to vote is that they are united in their political convictions with their husbands and their husbands represent them at the ballot box. One cannot create a law that sows discord and discord in the marriage.
The principles of universal, secret suffrage are also fully valid in the future state. Each canton again elects its 24 senators. They must be over the age of 30 and suitable in every respect for a responsible post. Their term of office is four years. They elect the cantonal president, who also has a four-year term of office.
However, in order to maintain complete impartiality, the cantonal president may not belong to any nation represented in the canton. For the purpose of easier implementation, each canton is again divided into 24 electoral districts. The election is presided over by the retiring senator, as no senator or cantonal president may accept election twice in succession. Senators are only eligible for re-election after a break of at least four years. The Union President, the Canton Presidents, and Senators form the "Union Diet", the Canton President and the 24 Senators form the "Cantonal Diet". The former has its seat in the Union capital, the latter in the cantonal capitals.
The Union Diet meets annually on the day the Union is founded, the Cantonal Diet one month before.
The Cantonal Diet decides on the welfare and prosperity of the canton.
The Union Diet unites all ruling powers in itself; it is the governing body. The President of the Union cannot order anything independently, he does not govern, he only presides, he only chairs. His vote carries the same weight as that of every senator. As there must always be an odd number of votes, the majority is always determined automatically. The actions of the President of the Union are determined by the Canton Presidents and all Senators. If minorities in a canton are below 25 per cent, they are not entitled to a senator from their nation, as the nations in the canton should also be represented in the election of senators in proportion to the population.
Only the male gender is eligible for election.
The Union Diet is assisted by the Ministry. It is divided into twelve departments or portfolios, namely: 1. foreign affairs, 2. military affairs, 3. home affairs, 4. culture and education, 5. justice, 6. finance, 7. agriculture, 8. trade, industry, commerce, 9. public works, 10. transport, 11. public nutrition and health, 12. social welfare.
The individual ministers are elected by the four main nations, so that each nation has three portfolios of its own. These three portfolios change periodically; each ministerial term lasts three years, like that of the President of the Union.
In the first presidential period of the Union, a Frenchman will be at the head of the Union, Frenchmen will hold the ministerial posts for the Interior, Defense, and Foreign Affairs during this period, while Prussians will hold the portfolios for Culture and Education, Justice, and Finance. A Pole will serve as Minister of Agriculture, Trade-Commerce-Industry, and Public Labour, and a Magyar as Minister of Transport, Food and Public Health, and Social Welfare. In the second presidential term, in which a Prussian sits in the presidential chair, an Italian will be entrusted with those portfolios that were held by the Germans in the first term, the Slavs will receive the following, the Magyars those of the French. Thus, with each change of president, each nation is assigned a different department for the administration of the office; in the nations, the individual tribes change in the manner explained at the election of the president.
A person who becomes a full citizen of the Union at the age of 20 shall solemnly take the oath of citizenship of the Union at the hands of the mayor of his town in his mother tongue and shall receive a diploma of citizenship of the Union as proof of the oath taken. In this diploma, it must be particularly emphasised that the citizen of the Union will continue to respect the nation and religion of his fellow citizen in every way, that he will contribute to the unity of the state and peace at all times, wherever and whenever. The oath shall be solemnised everywhere on the founding day of the Union. This founding day shall be considered a bank holiday.
The ban on alcohol shall be strictly enforced at election time.
In addition, it is added that the president of the Union and the presidents of the cantons are to be elected according to nationality for at least 100 years, as it can be assumed that after this time the nations will have merged into a single nation.
In principle, the Swiss laws would have to be implemented and applied, with the exception of the retention of the death penalty. It is natural that each canton must initially adapt these laws to its inhabitants.
Experience has shown that there are also very good legal provisions in America, some of which could be implemented in the Union.
Armed forces.
No state can exist without a standing army. States that do not have this indispensable and solid protection fall into decay.
Since ancient times, every state has had its own defense force to maintain peace and order internally and to protect its borders externally.
Compulsory military service begins on 1 January of the calendar year in which a male citizen of the Union reaches the age of 21. This ends on 31 December of the year in which he reaches the age of 42.
The total period of service is divided into two years of line service and 18 years of military service. Of the two line service years, one is used for military service and the other for national service. The latter is, as it were, under military dictatorship and includes the construction and construction of large industrial plants, transport facilities such as roads, railways, industrial canals, the draining of swamps and marshes, general service in the event of fire, flood disasters, earthquakes, possible volcanic eruptions, etc.
How many railways, roads and shipping canals were not built for purely political reasons? How many swamps were not drained for this reason? All this will fall away with the creation of the Union and will provide thousands of people with work and bread for a number of years to come.
Those who cannot be used as pioneer labourers or as clerical, office or supervisory staff for these general cultural tasks serve the second year with arms in the colonies.
The total strength of the standing army is set at two million men (Union and colonies).
The land power first deploys four armies, which are organised nationally. One army is recruited from each of the four main nations. The army command of the Romans is in Paris, that of the Germans Berlin, that of the Slavs in Warsaw, that of the Magyars in Budapest.
Should the Magyars not be able to muster the contingent allotted to them, they shall be granted the right to assemble in the territory of the former Crown of St Stephen (border 1914), provided that the population speaks the Magyar language. Every citizen is free to join the army whose national language he can speak and write.
Each army occupies six cantons in such a way that two neighbouring cantons never have the same garrison troops. In the cantons themselves, the garrison troops are distributed as required. The nation of each occupying force is indicated on the map by the colour of the cannons.
The garrison of the Union capital and that of the cantonal capitals is always taken from the national army from which the President in question comes by nationality. The second largest city in the canton is the seat of the cantonal commander.
As already mentioned in the "Borders" section, a military border zone 50 kilometres wide is created on the eastern, south-eastern and southern borders. In the interests of the country as a whole, the full military status of the occupying troops must be applied here. The military border guards are exempt from national service, but must cultivate land given to them for use by the Union, have previously served two years in the military and have already entered into a marriage.
In the east and south of the Union, it is particularly necessary to create a new generation, a new breed of people. For this reason, only soldiers of non-Slavic nationality are to be settled in the eastern and southern border areas, while only soldiers of non-Roman nationality are to be settled in the south-western border area. This is intended to significantly support the mixing of the ethnicities.
Initially, French is to be introduced as the command language for the Roman army, German for the German army, Polish for the Slav army and Hungarian for the Magyar army. However, as soon as Esperanto becomes the sole compulsory language of the army, the fourfold division of the army will cease, the national armies will disappear and the unified army will take their place. Then each body of troops will consist of all nations, which will be organised and divided into the same percentage.
In general, the army will be governed by uniform regulations which the army high command has drawn up from the existing regulations of all nations. These standardised regulations are in force in the respective national languages of each army. Only later will they be translated into Esperanto and generally introduced with the Esperanto command language.
The same armament, the same equipment, the same uniform, with only minor differences to characterise the weapon and nation, is a basic requirement in the four national armies.
The distinctions between the ranks are determined by the Army High Command in conjunction with the Ministry of Defense. Initially, the members of the Roman army receive an R, the German a G, the Slavs an S, the Magyars an M punched out of metal in place of the cap rose. The belt buckle also bears the initial letters of the nationality as a symbol.
As soon as the Unified Army is formed, these insignia are removed and replaced by the Union coat of arms. At this time, the garrison will also be changed, i.e. the national garrisons shown on the map will be replaced by those of the unified army. This will happen incidentally 80 years after the founding of the Union.
General conscription is also to be introduced in the colonies, but the intelligence of these people is to serve their second year of service with the army in the Union, and only so many that they make up only a tenth of the number of troops in the national armies.
Since a permanent peace is to be achieved, large-scale maneuver have no raison d'être for the future war. Therefore, only smaller exercises are held, at most within the army.
Just as the land army is initially divided into four national armies, so too is the fleet.
The first assigned sea areas are:
- Roman fleet: North Sea and Baltic Sea,
- German fleet: Mediterranean, Adriatic,
- Slavic fleet: Atlantic, La Manche Channel,
- Magyar fleet: Black Sea.
However, a well-disciplined and reliable gendarmerie and police force is essential on top of the army, especially to maintain order and tranquility in the interior. The corps is subordinate to the relevant political authorities and is made up of soldiers and non-commissioned officers who have served for at least two years.
One innovation is likely to be the introduction of a well-organised, fully trained state corridor police force.
In towns with 30,000 or more inhabitants, a municipal vice squad will have to be set up in addition to the state, town and district police. This police must vigorously pursue every vice.
Land reform and the social question.
Family land ownership is only permitted up to a maximum of 1,000 yokes [575 ha, 1'400 acres]. Property in excess of 1,000 yokes will be confiscated by the future unified state according to need and according to the size of the land—the largest first.
Possessions of any kind worth 100 yoke [58 ha, 140 acres] are free for sale.
If a private property of any kind is worth more than 100 and up to 1,000 yoke, the owner has the right to dispose of it by selling it. The government exerts influence here in so far as it cannot be indifferent to who the buyer is in the interests of the ultimate goal—the mixing of nationalities. In order to prevent any evasion of the state as a whole from the outset, a state real estate sales office is set up in each canton.
In the Roman area, sales may only be made to persons who belong to the three other recognised main nations: German, Slavic, Magyar, etc. If the property is located in Germanic territory, the sale may only be made to Roman, Slavic or Magyar persons, etc.
In mixed-language areas, buying and selling depends on which of the four main nations the buyer and seller have declared their allegiance to in the general census, which is to be carried out immediately after the foundation of the future unitary state.—Otherwise, the family property, and any property in general, may neither be sold nor given away, but may only be inherited in the direct line. If there is no heir of either the male or female sex, the property is confiscated by the state immediately after the death of the owner.
What does the state need this land for?
In all states, soldiers returning from military service were offered the hope of land distribution. So far, however, very little has happened in this direction. Monasteries and crown estates, large land holdings and entailed estates have been confiscated by the state, but most of them are still in its hands. These, as well as those estates which have emerged from the surplus property of the large landowners, would have to be distributed immediately to men of good character whose total income or property does not exceed the sum of 10,000 D. as soon as they enter into a national mixed marriage. Whether or not the candidate has served in the army or in the state is the same. Served soldiers or those of lesser means will always be given priority in the selection process. Since it is likely to occur incessantly that family estates become vacant as a result of the extinction of the family, the distribution or allocation of land is, as it were, a continuing one.
If a spouse of a national mixed marriage dies, the surviving spouse, even if there are children, is obliged to enter into a new mixed marriage within three years, provided that they have not yet reached the age of 40; if this is the case, the property reverts to the Union, just as in the case of non-marriage.
All spouses who enter into a national mixed marriage but have a profession that precludes rational land management are to receive the value of the land of the other party in money, from which they receive the interest. After ten years of marriage, half is to be paid out, after 20 years the remainder. If the marriage was childless by the tenth year, the property reverts to the state. Property refers to land and capital.
The size of the land to be given away, or the amount of money, is determined by the government.
Every young citizen of the Union of either sex shall, when he enters the period of apprenticeship and travelling, be obliged to spend their apprenticeship and studies in a foreign-speaking canton, if possible. Every civil servant must also spend the first ten years of his career in a foreign canton if they speak the language of that canton.
Through these government measures, national mixed marriages are prevented, their closure is enforced, and the fusion of nations, their blood and their character traits is initiated by the state, as well as through the basic conditions of sale. For this extremely important reason, every private employee and every labourer who spends two years working in a foreign-language area must also be paid state subsidies, the amount of which increases gradually from the second to the tenth year.
Wealthy people whose total private property exceeds the value of 100 yokes and who for any reason do not wish to enter into a national mixed marriage must pay five percent of their assets to the Union treasury before the marriage, which is only granted to them by the state under this condition. This levy is to be calculated according to the parents' assets in order to avoid a reduction by the state.
If, due to an unforeseen event (inheritance from abroad, lottery, etc.), a person who has received a state land grant or monetary value receives private property or a value of 100 yokes, the state must be reimbursed the original value of the donated property or the interest already paid out.
If a land donor proves that he has neglected the land or cultivation, the government is entitled to withdraw the donated property from him.
Bachelors over the age of 30 and childless married couples as well as widowers under the age of 40 are subject to an additional tax, as has already been introduced in some states. Only the insane, the sick and those afflicted with an infirmity that precludes marriage are exempt from paying the tax surcharge.
Private property in any form whatsoever and large enterprises with an added value of 1,000 yoke are to be restructured as joint-stock companies in such a way that every less well-off person can participate as a shareholder. Shares with a nominal value greater than 100 must be converted into shares with a nominal value of 100 and divided. A physical or legal person may therefore only own a maximum of ten shares or stocks in one and the same company. Shares and share certificates are only transferable in the event of inheritance. The company's employees are to be given preference when issuing share certificates.
If someone is forced by fate or other events to sell their shares or share certificates, the company must buy them back at any time and unconditionally hand them over to other persons. The company may not accumulate shares under any circumstances if it is heavily fined.
A further source of revenue would be created by taxing all luxuries, as well as fines to be paid for proven national or religious abuse of a fellow citizen, blasphemy, denigration and disparagement of government measures, in addition to the sentence to be served. Those without means would have to perform forced labor for the state.
The state treasury will be filled by the taxes mentioned, which are expected to yield a fairly rich return, as well as by the property levy, which will again benefit the unitary state as a whole.
In the future unitary state, work will be compulsory. Every member of the Union must work in some profession, but only until the age of 55.
Sick, incurable and mentally ill persons are naturally excluded from this insofar as their total inability to work is recognized by a specialist commission. A certificate must be issued to this effect, which must be presented to the body carrying out the checks without being asked. Every citizen of the Union must therefore be able to legally identify their occupation at any time. There is no room for idlers of any kind in the future unified state. Everyone works, everyone fully enjoys the fruits of their labor. Every member of the state will share in the blessing of order and work in the state, which is why there must be no private or state pensioners under the age of 55. When they reach the age of 65 however, everyone, whether a private or state employee, must vacate their job in order to leave it to younger workers. The years from 55 to 65 will only be used for work by those people whose continuance in their position contributes perfectly to the overall well-being. These are the exceptions to the general rule that everyone's retirement period begins at the age of 55.
If the worker has a stake in a major company, possibly through the acquisition of shares, if he has universal suffrage, workers' protection, workers' insurance and possibly a pension, if they are also given the opportunity to lead a life of moderate prosperity, the class struggle and the hatred of capitalism will subside of their own accord.
In the past, national hatred was artificially nourished by the various governments, almost cultivated, and the noble virtue of love of country was exploited by the state for its own purposes. The many prisoners of war who, as soon as they received their long-awaited freedom, bid farewell with tears in their eyes to the citizens they had grown so fond of and with whom they were working, prove that this was the case. The national hatred caused by prejudice had disappeared. Love and respect for their working fellow human beings came into their own.
It would also be advantageous for the state as a whole if industry were to go hand in hand with agriculture as far as possible by acquiring large agricultural estates of less than 1,000 yokes, and could exchange weak and sickly workers who could recover there significantly in the fresh air during the summer months and still find their use, since agriculture does not require a great deal of specialized training for the economic worker. These properties should not be too far away from the employer, so that the worker can spend at least Saturday evenings and Sundays with his family.
It would also be necessary to nationalize the spas and health resorts—all of them—so that the worker and the less wealthy, as well as everyone else, could fully enjoy the blessings of these health resorts in every respect and not become a victim of class rule through inferior, secondary treatment. Wealthy people must not regard these institutions, which serve the common good, as their sole domain and be able to exploit them.
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If we briefly summarize what has been explained so far, every thinking person must come to the conclusion that the formation of the future unitary state according to my idea is a solid rock on which the waves of the "yellow peril" that is sure to come crashing in will crash. These inhabitants of Asia are slyly and with a firm hand taking one piece of land after another from our continent in order to incorporate it into their possessions despite all assurances and invocations to the contrary.
They will then, as soon as they are strong and powerful, gnaw away at the trunk of the old world and slowly but surely bring it down. Only through the unity of all the peoples of Europe can an energetic "stop" be offered—if necessary with an iron fist.
Had Napoleon I. had been content at the time with the imperial borders as I have shown them on the map for the future unified state, had he devoted himself more to the internal development of his country, had he been more concerned with the unification of peoples in his country, had he given everyone equal rights and contributed by all means to the reconciliation of peoples within the framework of the country he ruled, I believe that his empire would still exist today to the extent it did then, and that he would have died an honorable death—Europe would have been spared much blood, money, misery and misery since that time.
Conclusion.
Every nation, even the smallest, surely has enough intelligent and wise men who, with a clear conscience, after careful consideration, free from all national and religious hatred, will come to the conclusion that only through national fraternization, through the curbing of religious hatred, can future peace be a blessing.
I hereby hand over my work to the general public and make only one request to everyone: to contribute to this beautiful work in word and deed, to enlighten their fellow human beings, to support and promote the idea, which is certainly ethical in every respect, with all their heart and soul.
Then the blessings of the work of peace will certainly not fail to materialize.
May God grant that this may be so!
February 19, 1920.
Details of my name, status and profession as author and editor of this work of peace have been deposited with a notary, together with this work, and will not be made public until at least the four principal nations within the framework of the Union have expressed themselves and publicly voiced their opinion.