The First World War was fought to make the world safe for Democracy and to end War for all time. But the Post-war World was sadly disillusioned.Instead of establishing peace, the Treaty of Versailles laid the foundation of a deadlier second war. Instead of establishing peace, the Treaty of Versailles laid the foundation of a deadlier second War. Instead of making the world safe for Democracy, the Post- war World was faced with the problem of making the world safe from democracy.The violent attempts to usher in a democratic era gave birth to the totalitarian regimes in Europe. To fight these Dictatorships, the democratic governments, consciously or unconsciously, banished democracy from their own lands. In terms of the Atlantic Charter the second World War was fought ‘to respect the rights of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live.’ But, thanks to the brutal frankness of the United Nations, the Charter was safely sunk in the Atlantic Ocean even during the course of the War so that there might be no cause for disillusionment later. A big ‘V’ for Victory was, therefore, the only real aim of the recent War. The proceedings of the San Francisco Conference have also proved beyond any shadow of doubt that the sole ambition of the ‘Big Three’ is to be the ‘top-dogs’ for all time. Of course, they are ever ready to pay lip-services to freedom and democracy and humour and the ‘under dogs’ by drawing fine distinctions between ‘self-government’ and ‘independence’. It is true that the fascist governments of Italy, Germany and Japan have been brought to their knees. But the spirit of Fascism seems to be triumphant more than ever before. “Victory,” remarks Prof. Laski, “is in itself an opportunity and not a fulfilment”. “It gives democracy another chance; it is not in itself an assurance that the chance will be taken”.[26] “There are no democracies in the West,” remarks Bernard Shaw, “They are only rank plutocracies, all of them now fascist to the finger-tips”. These remarks apply almost with equal force to the present Labour Government in Britain because Imperialism and Democracy cannot go together. The only difference is that in place of Churchillian Fascim there will now be the ‘Dictatorship of Labour’. The United States, being younger and wiser, does not care for a ‘Visible Empire’. But their Invisible Empire is sure to spread its tentacles and that too, in the name of the ‘Four Freedoms.’ The U.S.S.R. is the shrewdest of the lot and is out to stride the world like a Collosus for making it ‘safe for Socialism’. Thus, the prospects of Democracy even after the Second War are very dark and bleak. And if the United Nations prefer to become Disunited Nations after a few years, the world will be really doomed to complete destruction. The ‘Daily Herald’, influential organ of Britain’s ruling Labour Party has warned bluntly that “the world is heading with its eyes open, for another war.” “At this rate,” observes the paper, “we shall soon be mourning Hitler as the sole architect of Allied Unity”.
