GERMANY: Hitler Gets Warm

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Cabinet?" During the quasi-dictatorship of President von Hindenburg, whose Chancellors have been ruling by Presidential decrees (often in flat defiance of the Reichstag) Germans have coined such terms as "autarchy," and "presidial government" to describe what is really the eclipse of their democracy.

Facing the future, German observers were sure last week that the next Cabinet will be "presidial," irrespective of who becomes Chancellor or whether a majority in the Reichstag can be found. Should the Nazis succeed in building a coalition it would still remain true in Germany—as in Italy—that "Fascism is the negation of democracy." Should they fail, President von Hindenburg was considered certain to dissolve the newly elected Reichstag (TIME, Nov. 14), appoint another protege of himself and General-leutnant von Schleicher as Chancellor and continue to rule by decree.

Of his purpose to rule, the President served drastic notice last week. He issued two more decrees, the first re-enforcing federal control of the Free State of Prussia (TIME, Sept. 12), the second extending to January 1933 the "civic truce" (ban on political meetings not approved by the government) which was to have expired last week.