{"id":3075,"date":"2013-07-13T01:45:47","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=3075"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:45:47","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:45:47","slug":"36-the-possibility-of-a-world-empire-vol-25-the-human-cycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/03-cwsa\/25-the-human-cycle\/36-the-possibility-of-a-world-empire-vol-25-the-human-cycle","title":{"rendered":"-36_The Possibility of a World-Empire.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n
<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tChapter IX <\/font> <\/b><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tThe Possibility of a World-Empire <\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tT<\/font>HE PROGRESS<\/b> of the imperial idea from the artificial and
\n\t\t\tconstructive stage to the position of a realised psychological truth
\n\t\t\tcontrolling the human mind with the same force and vitality which
\n\t\t\tnow distinguish the national idea above all other group motives, is
\n\t\t\tonly a possibility, not a certainty of the future. It is even no
\n\t\t\tmore than a vaguely nascent possibility and so long as it has not
\n\t\t\temerged from this inchoate condition in which it is at the mercy of
\n\t\t\tthe much folly of statesmen, the formidable passions of great human
\n\t\t\tmasses, the obstinate selfinterest of established egoisms, we can
\n\t\t\thave no surety that it will not even now die still-born. And if so,
\n\t\t\twhat other possibility can there be of the unification of mankind by
\n\t\t\tpolitical and administrative means? That can only come about if
\n\t\t\teither the old ideal of a single world-empire be, by developments
\n\t\t\tnot now apparently possible, converted into an accomplished fact or
\n\t\t\tif the opposite ideal of a free association of free nations overcome
\n\t\t\tthe hundred and one powerful obstacles which stand in the way of its
\n\t\t\tpractical realisation. <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tThe idea of a world-empire imposed by sheer force is in direct
\n\t\t\topposition, as we have seen, to the new conditions which the
\n\t\t\tprogressive nature of things has introduced into the modern world.
\n\t\t\tNevertheless, let us isolate these new conditions from the problem
\n\t\t\tand admit the theoretical possibility of a single great nation
\n\t\t\timposing its political rule and its predominant culture on the whole
\n\t\t\tearth as Rome once imposed hers on the Mediterranean peoples and on
\n\t\t\tGaul and Britain. Or let us even suppose that one of the great
\n\t\t\tnations might possibly succeed in overcoming all its rivals by force
\n\t\t\tand diplomacy and afterwards, respecting the culture and separate
\n\t\t\tinternal life of its subject nations, secure its sway by the
\n\t\t\tattraction of a world-peace, of beneficent administration and of an
\n\t\t\tunparalleled organisation of human knowledge and human resources for
\n\t\t\tthe amelioration of the present state of mankind. <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tPage \u2013 337<\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tWe have to see whether this theoretical possibility is at all likely
\n\t\t\tto encounter the conditions by which it can convert itself into a
\n\t\t\tpractical possibility, and if we consider, we shall find that no
\n\t\t\tsuch conditions now exist: on the contrary, all are against the
\n\t\t\trealisation of such a colossal dream \u2014 it could only come about by
\n\t\t\timmense changes as yet hidden in the secrecy of the future. <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tIt is commonly supposed that the impulse which brought Germany to
\n\t\t\ther recent struggle with the world was rooted in even such a dream
\n\t\t\tof empire. How far there was any such conscious intention in her
\n\t\t\tdirecting minds is a question open to some doubt; but it is certain
\n\t\t\tthat, if she had prevailed in the war as she had first expected, the
\n\t\t\tsituation created would inevitably have led her to this greater
\n\t\t\tendeavour. For she would have enjoyed a dominant position such as no
\n\t\t\tnation has yet possessed during the known period of the world’s
\n\t\t\thistory; and the ideas which have recently governed the German
\n\t\t\tintellect, the idea of her mission, her race superiority, the
\n\t\t\timmeasurable excellence of her culture, her science, her
\n\t\t\torganisation of life and her divine right to lead the earth and to
\n\t\t\timpose on it her will and her ideals, these with the all-grasping
\n\t\t\tspirit of modern commercialism would have inevitably impelled her to
\n\t\t\tundertake universal domination as a divinely given task. The fact
\n\t\t\tthat a modern nation and indeed the nation most advanced in that
\n\t\t\tefficiency, that scientific utilisation of Science, that spirit of
\n\t\t\torganisation, State help and intelligent dealing with national and
\n\t\t\tsocial problems and ordering of economic well-being which Europe
\n\t\t\tunderstands by the word civilisation, \u2014 the fact that such a nation
\n\t\t\tshould be possessed and driven by such ideas and impulses is
\n\t\t\tcertainly a proof that the old gods are not dead, the old ideal of
\n\t\t\tdominant Force conquering, governing and perfecting the world is
\n\t\t\tstill a vital reality and has not let go its hold on the psychology
\n\t\t\tof the human race. Nor is there any certainty that the recent war
\n\t\t\thas killed these forces and this ideal; for the war was decided by
\n\t\t\tforce meeting force, by organisation triumphing over organisation,
\n\t\t\tby the superior or at any rate the more fortunate utilisation of those very weapons
\n\t\t\t\twhich constituted the real strength of the great aggressive
\n\t\t\tTeutonic Power.   <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tPage \u2013 338<\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t The defeat of Germany by her own weapons could
\n\t\t\t\tnot of itself kill the spirit then incarnate in Germany; it may
\n\t\t\t\twell lead merely to a new incarnation of it, perhaps in some
\n\t\t\t\tother race or empire, and the whole battle would then have to be
\n\t\t\t\tfought over again. So long as the old gods are alive, the
\n\t\t\t\tbreaking or depression of the body which they animate is a small
\n\t\t\t\tmatter, for they know well how to transmigrate. Germany
\n\t\t\t\toverthrew the Napoleonic spirit in France in 1813 and broke the
\n\t\t\t\tremnants of her European leadership in 1870; the same Germany
\n\t\t\t\tbecame the incarnation of that which it had overthrown. The
\n\t\t\t\tphenomenon is easily capable of renewal on a more formidable
\n\t\t\t\tscale. <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tNor was the failure of Germany any more a proof of the impossibility
\n\t\t\tof this imperial dream than the previous failure of Napoleon. For
\n\t\t\tthe Teutonic combination lacked all the necessary conditions except
\n\t\t\tone for the success of so vast an aim. It had the strongest
\n\t\t\tmilitary, scientific and national organisation which any people has
\n\t\t\tyet developed, but it lacked the gigantic driving impulse which
\n\t\t\tcould alone bring an attempt so colossal to fruition, the impulse
\n\t\t\twhich France possessed in a much greater degree in the Napoleonic
\n\t\t\tera. It lacked the successful diplomatic genius which creates the
\n\t\t\tindispensable conditions of success. It lacked the companion force
\n\t\t\tof sea-power which is even more necessary than military superiority
\n\t\t\tto the endeavour of world-domination, and by its geographical
\n\t\t\tposition and the encircling position of its enemies it was
\n\t\t\tespecially open to all the disadvantages which must accompany the
\n\t\t\tmastery of the seas by its natural adversary. The combination of
\n\t\t\toverwhelming sea-power with overwhelming land-power1 can alone bring
\n\t\t\tso vast an enterprise into the domain of real possibility; Rome
\n\t\t\titself could only hope for something like a world-empire when it had
\n\t\t\tdestroyed the superior maritime force of Carthage. Yet so entirely
\n\t\t\tdid German statesmanship miscalculate the problem that it entered
\n\t\t\tinto the struggle with the predominant maritime Power of the world
\n\t\t\talready ranked in the coalition of its enemies. <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t1 But now also, in a far greater degree, overwhelming air-power.<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tPage \u2013 339<\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n

Instead of concentrating
\nits efforts against this one natural adversary, instead of utilising the old
\nhostility of Russia and France against England, its maladroit and brutal
\ndiplomacy had already leagued these former enemies against itself; instead of
\nisolating England, it had succeeded only in isolating itself and the manner in
\nwhich it began and conducted the war still farther separated it morally and gave
\nan added force to the physical isolation effected by the British blockade. In
\nits one-sided pursuit of a great military concentration of Central Europe and
\nTurkey, it had even wantonly alienated the one maritime Power which might have
\nbeen on its side. <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tIt is conceivable that the imperial enterprise may be renewed at
\n\t\t\tsome future date in the world’s history by a nation or by statesmen
\n\t\t\tbetter situated, better equipped, gifted with a subtler diplomatic
\n\t\t\tgenius, a nation as much favoured by circumstances, temperament and
\n\t\t\tfortune as was Rome in the ancient world. What then would be the
\n\t\t\tnecessary conditions for its success? In the first place, its aim
\n\t\t\twould have small chances of prospering if it could not repeat that
\n\t\t\textraordinary good luck by which Rome was enabled to meet its
\n\t\t\tpossible rivals and enemies one by one and avoid a successful
\n\t\t\tcoalition of hostile forces. What possibility is there of such a
\n\t\t\tfortunate progress in a world so alert and instructed as the modern
\n\t\t\twhere everything is known, spied on, watched by jealous eyes and
\n\t\t\tactive minds under the conditions of modern publicity and swift
\n\t\t\tworld-wide communication? The mere possession of a dominant position
\n\t\t\tis enough to set the whole world on its guard and concentrate its
\n\t\t\thostility against the Power whose secret ambitions it instinctively
\n\t\t\tfeels. Therefore such a fortunate succession would only seem to be
\n\t\t\tpossible if, in the first place, it were carried out half
\n\t\t\tunconsciously without any fixed and visible ambition on the part of
\n\t\t\tthe advancing Power to awaken the general jealousy and, secondly, by
\n\t\t\ta series of favouring occurrences which would lead so near to the
\n\t\t\tdesired end that it would be within the grasp before those who could
\n\t\t\tstill prevent it had awakened to its possibility. <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tPage \u2013 340<\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t If, for instance, there were a series of struggles between the four
\n\t\t\t\tor five great Powers now dominating the world, each of which
\n\t\t\t\tleft the aggressor broken without hope of recovery and without
\n\t\t\t\tany new Power arising to take its place, it is conceivable that
\n\t\t\t\tat the end one of them would be left in a position of such
\n\t\t\t\tnatural predominance gained without any deliberate aggression,
\n\t\t\t\tgained at least apparently in resisting the aggression of others
\n\t\t\t\tas to put world-empire naturally into its grasp. But with the
\n\t\t\t\tpresent conditions of life, especially with the ruinous nature
\n\t\t\t\tof modern war, such a succession of struggles, quite natural and
\n\t\t\t\tpossible in former times, seems to be beyond the range of actual
\n\t\t\t\tpossibilities. <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tWe must then assume that the Power moving towards world-domination
\n\t\t\twould at some time find inevitably a coalition formed against it by
\n\t\t\talmost all the Powers capable of opposing it and this with the
\n\t\t\tsympathy of the world at their back. Given even the happiest
\n\t\t\tdiplomacy, such a moment seems inevitable. It must then possess such
\n\t\t\ta combined and perfectly organised military and naval predominance
\n\t\t\tas to succeed in this otherwise unequal struggle. But where is the
\n\t\t\tmodern empire that can hope to arrive at such a predominance? Of
\n\t\t\tthose that already exist Russia might well arrive one day at an
\n\t\t\toverwhelming military power to which the present force of Germany
\n\t\t\twould be a trifle; but that it should combine with this force by
\n\t\t\tland a corresponding sea-power is unthinkable. England has enjoyed
\n\t\t\thitherto an overwhelming naval predominance which it might so
\n\t\t\tincrease under certain conditions as to defy the world in arms;2 but
\n\t\t\tit could not even with conscription and the aid of all its colonies
\n\t\t\tcompass anything like a similar force by land, \u2014 unless indeed it
\n\t\t\tcreated conditions under which it could utilise all the military
\n\t\t\tpossibilities of India. Even then we have only to think of the
\n\t\t\tformidable masses and powerful empires that it must be prepared to
\n\t\t\tmeet and we shall see that the creation of this double predominance
\n\t\t\tis a contingency which the facts themselves show to be, if not
\n\t\t\tchimerical, at least highly improbable. <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t2 This is no longer true since the enormous increase of the American
\n\t\t\tNavy.   <\/font> <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tPage \u2013 341<\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\tGiven even largely superior numbers on the side of its possible
\n\t\t\tenemies, a nation might conceivably prevail over the coalition of
\n\t\t\tits opponents by a superior science and a more skilful use of its
\n\t\t\tresources. Germany relied on its superior science for the successful
\n\t\t\tissue of its enterprise; and the principle on which it proceeded was
\n\t\t\tsound. But in the modern world Science is a common possession and
\n\t\t\teven if one nation steals such a march on the others as to leave
\n\t\t\tthem in a position of great inferiority at the beginning, yet
\n\t\t\texperience has shown that given a little time, \u2014 and a powerful
\n\t\t\tcoalition is not likely to be crushed at the first blow, \u2014 the lost
\n\t\t\tground can be rapidly made up or at least methods of defence
\n\t\t\tdeveloped which will largely neutralise the advantage gained. For
\n\t\t\tsuccess, therefore, we should have to suppose the development by the
\n\t\t\tambitious nation or empire of a new science or new discoveries not
\n\t\t\tshared by the rest which would place it in something like the
\n\t\t\tposition of superiority over greater numbers which Cortez and
\n\t\t\tPizarro enjoyed over the Aztecs and Peruvians. The superiority of
\n\t\t\tdiscipline and organisation which gave the advantage to the ancient
\n\t\t\tRomans or to the Europeans in India is no longer sufficient for so
\n\t\t\tvast a purpose. <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tWe see, therefore, that the conditions for the successful pursuit of
\n\t\t\tworld-empire are such that we need hardly take this mode of
\n\t\t\tunification as within the bounds of practical possibility. That it
\n\t\t\tmay again be attempted, is possible; that it will fail, may almost
\n\t\t\tbe prophesied. At the same time, we have to take into account the
\n\t\t\tsurprises of Nature, the large field we have to allow to the
\n\t\t\tunexpected in her dealings with us. Therefore we cannot pronounce
\n\t\t\tthis consummation an absolute impossibility. On the contrary, if
\n\t\t\tthat be her intention, she will suddenly or gradually create the
\n\t\t\tnecessary means and conditions. But even if it were to come about,
\n\t\t\tthe empire so created would have so many forces to contend with that
\n\t\t\tits maintenance would be more difficult than its creation, and
\n\t\t\teither its early collapse would bring the whole problem again into
\n\t\t\tthe field for a better solution or else it would have, by stripping
\n\t\t\titself of the elements of force and domination which inspired its
\n\t\t\tattempt, to contradict the essential aim of its great effort.   <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tPage \u2013 342<\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t  That, however, belongs to another side of our subject which
\n\t\t\t\twe must postpone for the moment. At present we may say that if
\n\t\t\t\tthe gradual unification of the world by the growth of great
\n\t\t\t\theterogeneous empires forming true psychological unities is only
\n\t\t\t\ta vague and nascent possibility, its unification by a single
\n\t\t\t\tforceful imperial domination has passed or is passing out of the
\n\t\t\t\trange of possibilities and can only come about by a new
\n\t\t\t\tdevelopment of the unexpected out of the infinite surprises of
\n\t\t\t\tNature.   <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tPage \u2013 343<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t<\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter IX   The Possibility of a World-Empire   THE PROGRESS of the imperial idea from the artificial and constructive stage to the position of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-25-the-human-cycle","wpcat-58-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3075\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}