1984

           Thefamiliarpendulumswingwastohappenoncemore,andthenstop. Asusual,theHighweretobeturnedoutbytheMiddle,whowouldthenbecometheHigh; butthistime,byconsciousstrategy,theHighwouldbeabletomaintaintheirpositionpermanently. 

           Thenewdoctrinesarosepartlybecauseoftheaccumulationofhistoricalknowledge,andthegrowthofthehistoricalsense,whichhadhardlyexistedbeforethenineteenthcentury. Thecyclicalmovementofhistorywasnowintelligible,orappearedtobeso; andifitwasintelligible,thenitwasalterable. Buttheprincipal,underlyingcausewasthat,asearlyasthebeginningofthetwentiethcentury,humanequalityhadbecometechnicallypossible. Itwasstilltruethatmenwerenotequalintheirnativetalentsandthatfunctionshadtobespecializedinwaysthatfavouredsomeindividualsagainstothers; buttherewasnolongeranyrealneedforclassdistinctionsorforlargedifferencesofwealth. Inearlierages,classdistinctionshadbeennotonlyinevitablebutdesirable. Inequalitywasthepriceofcivilization. Withthedevelopmentofmachineproduction,however,thecasewasaltered. Evenifitwasstillnecessaryforhumanbeingstododifferentkindsofwork,itwasnolongernecessaryforthemtoliveatdifferentsocialoreconomiclevels. Therefore,fromthepointofviewofthenewgroupswhowereonthepointofseizingpower,humanequalitywasnolongeranidealtobestrivenafter,butadangertobeaverted. Inmoreprimitiveages,whenajustandpeacefulsocietywasinfactnotpossible,ithadbeenfairlyeasytobelieveit. Theideaofanearthlyparadiseinwhichmenshouldlivetogetherinastateofbrotherhood,withoutlawsandwithoutbrutelabour,hadhauntedthehumanimaginationforthousandsofyears. Andthisvisionhadhadacertainholdevenonthegroupswhoactuallyprofitedbyeachhistoricalchange.