Influence of Historical Events 41 



first edition of The Origin oj Species was published 

 in i860. As early as 1861, Darwin wrote, "my 

 book seems to be exciting much attention in 

 Germany, judging from the number of discussions 

 sent me, " and his son, Francis Darwin, writes, "in 

 a few years the voice of German science was to 

 become one of the strongest of the advocates of 

 evolution. ^ 



In the midst of all this discussion came the war 

 of 1870, exerting a profound influence in populariz- 

 ing the theory of "social Darwinism" as the 

 arbiter of national destiny. It is easy to under- 

 stand the effect of the war upon the victorious 

 Prussians, and through them upon a large part of 

 the German people, for Prussia had now gained the 

 leadership in the newly-formed German Empire. 



Intoxicated by their brilliant victories, they 

 were easily converted to the adoration of brute 

 force. They proclaimed on high that it took 

 precedence of law. They found it entirely natural 

 that it menaced the world. They claimed that the 

 vanquished had no right to protest, that they ought 

 simply to submit to their fate. All the benefits 

 which came from the unity of the German states 

 were ascribed to the victorious war. The great 

 expansion of economic life, following the transi- 

 tion from an agricultural to a predominately 

 industrial state which had set in in the previous 

 decade, was also credited to the war and it was 

 felt that the principle of natural selection could 



I Life and Letters of Darwin, p. 150. 



