294 THE SCIENCE OF POWER 



first essential in the constitution of Power in all the 

 forms through which Power expresses itself in the 

 history of races and of peoples lies in the elements 

 of their social heredity. The character of a people 

 is formed by the nature of its social heredity. It 

 is the nature of its social heredity which creates a 

 ruling people. It is what it lacks in its social 

 heredity that relegates a people to the position of an 

 inferior race. 



In the national and racial inheritance of a people 

 the influence of the elements of its" social heredity 

 insensibly envelops and saturates the entire col- 

 lective mind. Imposed on the young at an early 

 age and under conditions of emotion the effects of 

 inheritance thus transmitted exceed and outlast 

 those of every other influence in life. It was with 

 well-founded instinct that William II of Germany 

 on his accession turned to the elementary school 

 teachers of his country when he aimed to impose 

 the elements of a new social heredity on the whole 

 German people. The result was the concentration 

 of mind and the extraordinary collective strength 

 with which Germany went into the world war in 

 1914. 



The higher end was missed by William II. 1 But 



1 Mazzini penetrated further towards the central principles of 

 Power in the coming era of civilization, when from 1840 onwards 



