again. For long periods the
High seem to be securely in power, but sooner or later there always comes a
moment when they lose either their belief in themselves or their capacity
to govern efficiently, or both. They are then overthrown by the Middle, who
enlist the Low on their side by pretending to them that they are fighting
for liberty and justice. As soon as they have reached their objective, the
Middle thrust the Low back into their old position of servitude, and
themselves become the High. Presently a new Middle group splits off from
one of the other groups, or from both of them, and the struggle begins over
again. Of the three groups, only the Low are never even temporarily
successful in achieving their aims. It would be an exaggeration to say that
throughout history there has been no progress of a material kind. Even
today, in a period of decline, the average human being is physically better
off than he was a few centuries ago. But no advance in wealth, no softening
of manners, no reform or revolution has ever brought human equality a
millimetre nearer. From the point of view of the Low, no historic change
has ever meant much more than a change in the name of their masters.
By the late nineteenth century the recurrence of this pattern had
bec