GOVERNMENT BY TH? PEOPLE 225

beneficial to manidnd. This doctrine suits the needs of Fascist
States. Italy has a comparatively small Empire, Germany has
none; the doctrine of expansion by war follows naturally. The
glory of the State expresses itself in great public works for the
relief of unemployment, and where these are not enough,
armament programmes supply the deficiency. The worship of
the State finds practical expression in an attempt to make the
nation economically self-sufficient; the advantages of international
trade are abandoned in the interest of military security. The
people give up their liberty and sacrifice their standard of life
and receive glory in return. The chief cause of Hitler's enormous
popularity is that he has made Germany a nation to be feared*
Democracy has here another lesson to learn* If the States of
the world insist on complete Sovereignty and recognise no law
but their own wishes, then they accept the idea of violence.
Those States which are, at any given time, victorious, may like
to forget this; but the defeated and disappointed, seeing that
violence can prevail, pursue it and make it the ruling principle
of their Governments. Democracy and the civilised way of life
which it creates can continue only if international law is made
a reality.

Fascist ideas x have spread outside Italy and Germany. They
flourish most where economic probleins are acute and Constitu-
tions are so planned as to reduce Government to impotence in
the name of liberty. It is not surprising that Fascism has made
small progress in Britain: the standard of life, though far from
satisfactory, is among the highest in the world; the claim that
British democracy means impotence and chaos is demonstrably
untrue; the British having been a powerful and united nation for
centuries, take their greatness for granted and are less impressed
by the appeal for glory. The British Union of Fascists conducts
much propaganda but has not yet Contested any Parliamentary
seats; the item in its policy which has had most effect on public
life is hostility to the Jews. There were unsuccessful Fascist
candidatures at the 1937 London County Council and Metro-