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THE FIGHT FOR EXISTENCE 227
natural anger, and to keep their faith in the ultimate victory
of peaceable, legal, and political methods. Prometheus,
bound to his rock and tortured by all the furies of
a malignant Jupiter, did not rise superior to his tormentor
with more grandeur than did the social democracy of
Germany.
Violence does indeed seem to be a reactionary force.
The use of it by the anarchists against the existing
regime seems to have deprived them of all
sympathy
and support. More and more they became isolated from
destroy the deepest convictions of a great body
even those in whose name they claimed to be fighting.
So the violence of Bismarck, intended to uproot and
of workingmen,
deprived him and his circle of all popular sympathy
and support. Year by year he became weaker,
and the futility of his efforts made him increasingly bitter
and violent. At last even those for whom he had
been fighting had to put him aside. On the other hand,
those he fought with his poisoned weapons became
stronger and stronger, their spirit grew more and more
buoyant, their confidence in success more and more certain.
And, when at last the complete victory was won,
it was heralded throughout the world, and from thousands
of great meetings, held in nearly every civilized
country, there came to the German social democracy telegrams
and resolutions of congratulation. The mere fact
that the Germany party polled a million and a half votes
was in itself an inspiration to the workers of all lands,
and in the elections which followed in France, Italy, Belgium,
Denmark, Sweden, and other countries the socialists
vastly increased their votes and more firmly established
their position as a parliamentary force. In 1892
France polled nearly half a million votes, little
Belgium
followed with three hundred and twenty thousand, while