62 THE SCIENCE OF POWER 



materialism became the three dominant notes in 

 the life of modern Germany. After the death of 

 Bismarck Nietzsche almost took Bismarck's place. 

 Gradually, as these developments were in progress, 

 the voices and tendencies which up to the middle 

 of the nineteenth century had led to the great 

 democratic movement in the West, and in particular 

 in Germany, became subdued and muted. Rapidly 

 from 1860 onward the spirit of the Darwinian 

 ethic gathered towards ascendancy in the national 

 politics of Europe. Germany fought Denmark, 

 Germany fought Austria, Germany fought France. 



After 1880 the impulse took on a wider and more 

 intense world-phase. The Western nations, driven 

 by the new spirit and in conditions of rivalry in 

 which they could not help themselves, entered on 

 the scramble for the world outside of Europe, 

 engaging in what has been called " the most rapid 

 and vast career of acquisition that the world had 

 witnessed since the days of Islam." l Within the 

 two closing decades of the nineteenth century and 

 the opening decade of the twentieth century the 

 leading nations of the West in this period of con- 

 quest and annexation added to their dominions areas 

 fifty times as large as that of the United Kingdom. 



The spirit underlying these world movements was 



1 George Peel, The F^tture of England, p. 126. 



