D O C . 3 4 7 P E R I L T O G E R M A N C I V I L I S A T I O N 2 7 7 347. “The Peril to German Civilisation” [Einstein 1922m] SUBMITTED 11 September 1922 Published 6 October 1922 In: The New Leader 1 (1922): 11. The Questions[1] Dear Professor Einstein, I believe that at this terrible crisis in the life of the German people a letter from you for publication might have a great, perhaps a decisive, influence in hastening the return of public opinion to sanity. I think that the questions to which English readers would particularly like to have an answer are chiefly these: (1) What has been the effect on Universities of the impoverishment since the Armistice? (2) Is it, true that the standards of living of the middle class have been lowered? (3) Have the new conditions affected the real income and health of the workers? (4) Have the many political murders in Germany a connection with the new pov- erty? (5) Is the Allied policy an aggravation of the internal difficulties of the Republic? (6) Do you share the common fear of the consequences of a sudden stabilization of the mark? (7) May we draw from the experience of scientific workers hope for a society based on social service instead of acquisitive gain? I think I may say on behalf of all who read the New Leader that we will feel our- selves your debtors, if you will be so generous as to spare time to answer these questions. H. N. Brailsford. The Answer[2] Berlin, September 11, 1922. Dear Mr. Brailsford, You have been so kind as to address one or two questions to me regarding eco- nomic conditions in Germany. You tell me that you want an objective statement about a state of affairs which ought, in the interests of a return to healthy political