The inevitable outbreak of hostilities between the Dolifuss brand of Fascism and the Socialists in Austria has come with unusual violence. The tragic side in the situation is the destruction of the Socialist machine in the city of Vienna by the Heimwehr troops, for it signifies more than merely the end of another Socialist party; it is the finish of one of the most ambitious and successful attempts to found a society which was in every sense of the word progressive, and which represented the furthest advance yet made in improving the general condition of a whole people. In a city which was probably hit harder than any other in Europe, the Socialists had managed to erect splendid state-owned apartment houses and to build up a magnificent municipal system of public utilities; in Vienna their dreams were realized in brick and mortar and it stood as both a rebuke and a challenge to the other nations.

Somebody has defined tragedy as the collision of two goods--or of two forces actuated by the best of motives. Such as the tragedy of Vienna; for the Heimwehr can hardly be held responsible for its actions. For them it is a case of crush the Socialists or perish when Germany feels strong enough to overwhelm Austria; if Dolifuss is able to unite his country behind him, his chances of resisting Germany will, of course, be enormously improved. But they will still be so dubious that he will have no alternative but to seek aid abroad.

Since Dolifuss's appeal to the League of Nations has been the flasco that every, one expected it to be he has recourse to out one measure left and that is to ally himself with some power or group of powers hostile to Germany; here his strongest support may be expected from Italy and France, although I should not be surprised to see England adopt an aggressive policy toward Germany before either of the two former powers do. This seemingly illogical behavior by the nation whose vital interests are the least affected may be explained by the fact that in all likelihood the English would move rapidly in order to forestall any cash moves by Nazi hotheads like Goring which would precipitate a situation highly conducive to war. In addition to blocking any such German attempts in advance and thus avoiding a war for the present, such a policy would have the additional advantage of allowing England to conduct a diplomatic reconnoiter without any danger to herself. It would also be logical for this policy to originate in England, for of all European states that country has the least desire to be dragged into another general struggle. While it will very likely prove to be a successful device it cannot be regarded as anything but temporary.

One possibility seems to have been pretty generally overlooked. This is the chance that Dolifuss may lose his nerve and make peace with the Nazis, demanding as his price a high position in Nazi affairs. The only evidence that can be advanced to support this view is that the Nazi campaign in Austria has slackened noticeably in the past week, and I put forth this suggestion as a guess in the dark. It would seem, however, that in case strong support from the powers does not materialize, that Dolifuss would naturally seize this opportunity and choose to sacrifice his principles rather than his head on the Nazi chopping block.

This is rendered more likely by the fact that there is really nothing the powers can do to prevent Nazilsm from establishing itself as the actual government in Austria, providing no attempt is made to achieve the Anschluss by actually joining the two countries together. If this should occur and a Nazi government be set up either by the Germans independently or with the aid of Dolifuss--nothing short of military occupation of the country could prevent the Austrian government from cooperating with Berlin in such a way as to make the Anschluss effective in all but name. Thus the powers have no choice but to intervene, for it is becoming increasingly evident that delay now will be fatal to their interests if not to the peace of Europe.