The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Second Lecture

[ 1 ] My dear friends! First of all, lest I forget, I would like to announce that we will begin as early as three o’clock tomorrow, so that some of our friends who will likely have to leave tomorrow will have time to attend the lecture. I would also like to ask you not to take this performance—which we attempted to present to you today—too much to heart. Of course, it must be understood in the context of the entire Faust epic, not as an isolated detail, and I will try—I believe as early as tomorrow—to add a few words to my lecture explaining this particular poem before we repeat the performance on Monday.

[ 2 ] Today, since I have noticed that this is in fact in line with the wishes of some of our friends, I would like to make a few more comments—as far as possible—on what I began last Monday. So today and tomorrow I will try to delve further into this matter, but—so that we understand one another and no misunderstandings arise when I shed light on the matter more from the spiritual side, as must now be done—I must preface this with a few remarks. For unless one is able to look at certain conditions in the present and in the times that led up to this present—in other words, unless one is able to look at these conditions on the physical plane—it is not possible to delve into the deeper, so to speak, occult aspects. You know, of course, that this is not a matter of taking sides, nor is it a matter of sympathies or antipathies, but rather of presenting certain circumstances which, as I have heard, many people find helpful in understanding the difficult times we are currently facing. So today, as time permits, I would like to offer a few more preparatory explanations.

[ 3 ] First of all, we must be clear that everything that happens externally on the physical plane depends on the underlying spiritual forces and powers. In concrete terms, however, it is difficult to gain a precise understanding of the manner in which these spiritual forces and powers operate, for in some places on the physical plane there are—one might say—intrusions, more distinct intrusions of the spiritual world than in other places. I have often pointed out here that there are, so to speak, connecting lines from the outer world—through the most varied intermediary relationships—to occult brotherhoods, and in turn from the occult brotherhoods into the spiritual world. If one wishes to understand these things correctly, one must first and foremost bear in mind that wherever people work, so to speak, with the aid of spiritually active forces—whether for good or for evil—great spans of time are always involved. And another factor that is of great importance [for these brotherhoods] is to survey the conditions of the physical plane with a certain detachment and to make use of them.

[ 4 ] This is particularly necessary when one wishes to make use of existing spiritual movements and currents to achieve this or that. As my explanations unfold, you will see to what extent one thing or another is sought and achieved, whether for good or for ill. A characteristic of those who make use of spiritual forces is that they very often—I say “very often,” not “always”—have reasons not to step onto the stage of the outer, physical plane themselves, but rather to make use of [suitable] intermediaries—intermediaries through whom certain plans can be achieved and realized. Now the point is that these things often have to happen in such a way that other people do not notice them. We have seen from various considerations that people are, in a sense, inattentive; they do not like to look closely at what is happening. But many who make use of certain occult connections take advantage of this to work in the world. Anyone who does not view this world as it is usually viewed, but rather looks at it with a free, open gaze, will know that there are always people who can be influenced by those who wish to make use of such means. And if someone sets out to influence people and, in a certain sense, is perhaps not entirely conscientious as an occultist, then he can indeed bring about such influences.

[ 5 ] As I said, I want to give you some background information. Let’s take an example—I’ll keep it very basic; you’ll see that this basic understanding will lead us to a deeper understanding—so let’s take an example. Richard Graf von Pfeil, [a Prussian officer] who had spent [many years] in St. Petersburg [and other places in Russia] and had looked around, wrote the following lines about the [impression he had, on the occasion of his farewell] in 1889 of the then-reigning Emperor of Russia, Alexander III:

The overall impression that Emperor Alexander III made on me during this conversation was the one I had long suspected: that he was deliberately being kept in a state of deep mistrust toward Germany by those around him, and that this mistrust had now become so deeply ingrained in him that a change was hardly conceivable at all. He was rightly convinced of his own deep love of peace, but he also believed in that of his advisors and other influential figures in Russia, many of whom by no means desired peace as much as he did.

[ 6 ] So you have, in a prominent position, a person who must be described as follows: He is susceptible to influence by those who press themselves upon him to exert that influence, but who do not wish to reveal themselves or step into the limelight. Suppose someone knows certain connections arising from the impulses of the fifth post-Atlantean epoch and wants to exploit these connections for his own purposes or for the purposes of some group—what does he do? He seeks to gain access to such an outstanding personality, seeks to gain influence by creating the impression that, in the most eminent sense, it is entirely foreign to him to seek any influence whatsoever, in the hope that no one will notice that he wants to gain influence—yet he does gain that influence. All it takes is a certain way of phrasing one’s sentences, a certain way of using one’s turns of phrase, to gain influence over people simply by the way certain sentences are formed, by the utterance of certain words, or by other means that I do not wish to describe. One need only know the means by which one can influence someone to steer them in a certain direction. Because some people are inattentive to a certain degree, the world simply seems good to them in their judgment, and because the world is thus good to them, it will naturally conform to that view as well. Well, Alexander II may indeed have been rightly convinced of his deep love of peace, but he also believed all his advisors and other influential figures in Russia, many of whom did not desire peace nearly as much as he did.

[ 7 ] You can see just how easily something like this can happen on the widest possible scale from another case—you can see it precisely from what I have recounted regarding Blavatsky. After that Mahatma, known by the initials K. H., had exerted a positive influence on her for some time, he was replaced by another Master through certain machinations, [without Blavatsky noticing]. This individual was a spy in the pay of a certain organization, but had defected from occult brotherhoods into whose highest degrees he had been initiated, so that he was able to remain in the background as a Mahatma himself, while using Blavatsky to achieve certain things he desired. By citing these basic facts, I merely wish to point out what one must be mindful of when judging such matters, for the way history is written often leads the world astray—completely astray. For the writing of history really involves something much deeper. Thus, at the very outermost surface of physical existence, in the very outermost Maya, one might say: Well, if this or that professor is a capable man and knows the historical methods, then he knows how to present history correctly. — But that is by no means necessarily the case.

[ 8 ] Whether a historian is able to portray the truth—or not—depends on whether one’s karma leads one to know the truth or not. This is very important. And the truth is often not revealed in whatever one happens to look at, but rather it is very often revealed only to those who can direct their gaze to the right places—I could also say, those who are guided by their karma to see the truth at the right moment, where something significant is expressed in a single phenomenon. For often, a single phenomenon reveals something that sheds light on what is actually unfolding over decades—but only in the manner of a flash of lightning that quickly illuminates something. So I would like to tell you a little story to prepare you for such things, which will then be particularly important for us in our more spiritual contemplation. So I would like to tell you a little story.

[ 9 ] There was a physician in Vienna—he is still there, but he no longer deals with these matters to the same extent—who, as early as the 1880s, practiced analytical psychology and psychoanalysis within the limits where it is, if we may say so, justified—not within the limits to which it has been taken since Freud’s theories. He achieved certain—and indeed significant—successes with his psychoanalysis because he was able, through his particular manner, to draw all sorts of things out of people by means of questioning. I explained to you in an earlier lecture what it means to draw all sorts of things out of people. Well, in 1886, a man came to this doctor who gave him the impression that there might be a great deal going on inside him. Now he had to treat him—specifically, as a nervous individual. So for a doctor skilled at reading all sorts of things from the inner life of the soul, this was, so to speak, a case made for him—one that was already extraordinarily interesting in and of itself. And he discovered that the man in question was a figure involved in a wide variety of political movements—a figure who, as they say, could stick his nose into everything and had a hand in everything; he found out that the man also wrote articles for certain journals on the continent that had a great influence on the ruler of the state in question.

[ 10 ] The patient in question—his name was Vojdarevič, and he was the scion, the very late-born scion of the former Vojdarevič family of Herzegovina—had a great deal to say at the time. Among other things, he knew exactly how the strings were pulled when, before the start of the Russo-Turkish War in the 1870s, these matters were orchestrated from Russia in Herzegovina and Bosnia. Under normal circumstances, a man like that wouldn’t reveal such things, but when the psychoanalyst gets hold of him—well, then all sorts of other things come out that wouldn’t otherwise come to light. And after he’d been grilled like that for a while—that is, after being questioned repeatedly—it became clear that back then, good old Vojdarevič also had a hand in the matter when the uprisings in Bosnia and Herzegovina were orchestrated prior to King Milan and Prince Nikita’s declaration of war on Turkey in the mid-1870s; that back then, this Vojdarevič was in on it when Russia gave Nikita and Milan cause to declare war on Turkey. Isn’t that right? Outwardly, people say: “Now the people have risen up in outrage over the Turks’ mistreatment.”—That may well have been the case; that should not be denied. I’m merely outlining the context, but one must be clear that the causes often lie much further back and are “engineered” much earlier. So the point is that this Vojdarevič was deeply involved in these matters.

[ 11 ] But what else came out of him prompted that doctor at the time to go to an influential figure in his country, for what came out—even if only in broken sentences—was such that the doctor, who was, after all, a sharp mind, was able to glean all sorts of things from those broken sentences. He was thus informed that the Russian ambassador to Turkey was in Vienna and not in Constantinople, as the newspapers reported. He was also told that this ambassador was not traveling to Constantinople, as the newspapers again reported, but to St. Petersburg. It also emerged that the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs was not, as the newspapers claimed, going to the Bohemian spas, but was staying at home in St. Petersburg. These two things made a strange impression on the doctor: that the Russian ambassador in Constantinople was traveling via Vienna to St. Petersburg, and that the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs was not going to the Bohemian spas but was staying in St. Petersburg—that is, to receive the ambassador there—and that the newspapers were reporting something entirely different. And then it struck him like a bolt of lightning—those dark, instinctive intuitions: This whole affair is connected to the fact that in Bulgaria, Alexander von Battenberg is about to be deposed. The doctor found this rather unsettling, and he reported it—as I have already said—to the relevant authorities. But these “authoritative” sources knew nothing more than that the Russian envoy was traveling to St. Petersburg on private business, as they say—and they were satisfied with this information, as is very often the case, because even those in positions of authority are sometimes overcome by that urge to be inattentive that I spoke of, and are by no means inclined to examine matters more deeply. And a week later, the Battenberg had to “set sail”!

[ 12 ] As you can see, this is actually a rather insignificant event for a historian, but one that sheds light in the deepest sense. And if the doctor had not “by chance,” as they say, managed to extract these things from Vojdarevič through psychoanalysis, this would never have come to light. Yet the threads of karma run in strange ways, and one simply knows from the interrogation that Vojdarevič—who, moreover, revealed many other things along these lines—was destined to become Vojdarevič once again in Bosnia and Herzegovina itself, if the whole story were to turn out correctly for the descendants of the old Vojdarevič family. From the flash of insight that shed light on the matter, we know how the threads ran from the Russian East to Herzegovina and Bosnia, and we can trace the origins of the story that later played such a major role, for that Vojdarevič was involved in the whole affair from the very beginning in the service of Russia.

[ 13 ] As you can see, the point here is to achieve very specific goals—not exactly through magic, but certainly by making proper use of the conditions of the physical plane. And that Vojdarevič had come to a point where he was, in a sense, failing to fulfill his task properly simply because he had become nervous; for much had been instilled in him, and he had been designated for many things. Here you see an outstanding example of how one works in the world while simultaneously covering one’s tracks—deliberately erasing the traces of one’s actions. And this will give you an idea that assessing world affairs is not as easy as one usually imagines. For those who wish to play a systematic role, so to speak, behind the scenes of world history know very well how to use such threads, and they have the cold-bloodedness to exploit these things thoroughly in the appropriate manner. And there is much that can be exploited in this regard. Only the thirst for knowledge and the will to understand can lead one to see the affairs of the world clearly.

[ 14 ] If one wishes to understand these things—which is, after all, what many of our friends are striving for—one must take into account what is already present, so to speak, to be used and utilized. Let us consider how the currents of the fifth post-Atlantean epoch are at work through certain outwardly perceptible endeavors, outwardly existing facts of the present time in the broader sense. First, in Eastern Europe, we have the Russian people—that Russian people of whom I already spoke last Monday, saying that, in a sense, all of Europe has come to hold them dear. Within this Russian people, together with the various other Slavic tribes, there lives—as I have often described—a national element of the future; for within the ethnic group collectively known as the Slavs lies the substance from which the spiritual current of the sixth post-Atlantean epoch will one day develop.

[ 15 ] And within this Slavic element, we are dealing first with the Russian people as such, and then with the other individual Slavic tribes, which, while distinct from the Russian people, nevertheless feel a certain degree of connection to the Russian Slavs as fellow Slavs. From this connection arises—or arose—what is today referred to as Pan-Slavism, in a sense a sense of belonging together in the spiritual realm, in emotional life, and in political life and political culture, shared by all Slavs. Now, insofar as something like this exists within the national soul, it is, of course, an entirely sincere and, in the higher sense of human evolution, a proper thing—even though the prefix “Pan-” is widely misused today. For those familiar with the circumstances, it is possible to call that spiritual communion—which permeates the Slavic souls in the manner just described, I might say—“Pan-Slavism.” To speak of “Pan-Germanism,” however it occurs—whether within or outside Germany—is, however, nonsense, not merely absurdity, for one cannot force all things into the same mold—one cannot speak of what does not exist. Something may emerge as a theory at some point, or even haunt individual minds, but reality differs from such things; it—as I said—shakes the various Slavic souls to their core and manifests itself differently among the various Slavic tribes.

[ 16 ] Everyone who has seriously studied certain occult insights since the 19th century is aware of the fact that one is dealing with a differentiated ethnic element in Eastern Europe. The occultist knows—and has always known—that within the Slavic element lies that future ethnic essence. And if some occultists within the Theosophical Society have claimed otherwise—for example, that this future element for the sixth subrace is found in Americans—this only proves that these occultists were not—or are not—true occultists, or that they seek to achieve something other than what is actually intended. Thus, on the one hand, we must reckon with the fact that in the East we are dealing with an element that, in a sense, carries the future within itself, as if emerging from the blood itself. But this element is still largely naive today; it does not yet know itself; it possesses within itself—I would say prophetically and instinctively—that which is to develop from it. It is often present in dreams. And as is well known to every occultist—I do not mean in the sense of external facts, but as a cultural fact—the Polish element [among the Slavic peoples] is, in a very specific way, the most advanced and culturally the most solid, because it is both religiously and politically established. This Polish element, which has advanced [into Central Europe], differs fundamentally from all other Slavic tribes in that it possesses a unified, internally cohesive spiritual life of extraordinary vitality and staying power. I will only sketch this out today; we may delve into these matters further later.

[ 17 ] Let us hold before our minds what I have just described. Now there is—again, something very well known to the occultist in its deeper meaning—I would say the counter-image of this, a kind of contrast to what I have just described: the spiritual life of the British people. And I am referring here primarily to the nature of that spiritual life as it presents itself to the world through British institutions and British national life. Above all, this element possesses an extraordinarily strong political character; it is, in the most eminent sense, politically inclined. Consequently, the political thought that has emerged from this element is the most admired by the rest of the world—in a sense, the most advanced and freest political thought. And one can say: wherever people in other parts of the world have sought political institutions in which freedom—as it came to be understood from the end of the 18th century into the 19th—could thrive, they drew upon British thought. For the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century was, in and of itself, more a matter of emotion, more an impulse of passion, and the ideas it contained were borrowed from British thought. The way in which political concepts are formulated, the way political bodies are structured, and the way the will of the people is channed into political organizations that are as free as possible—so that it can exert its influence from all sides—is expressed, according to its original conception, in this British political thought—hence the widespread emulation of British institutions by the emerging states of the 19th century. In one way or another, attempts have consistently been made in many places to adopt something of the British way of conducting parliamentary life and establishing parliamentary institutions, for in this regard, British thought is the guiding light of modern times.

[ 18 ] In the 19th century, roughly up until the final decades of that century, this very political way of thinking found expression to a remarkable degree within England through extraordinarily significant figures—figures who shaped their thoughts entirely in accordance with these political ideas. And one thing became particularly evident: It seemed to these figures that this political thinking could bring about the salvation of the world, if only one were to devote oneself entirely to it, if nothing else were to exist but this political thinking within the external structures of the various institutions. Consequently, individuals who—though perhaps one-sided in one direction or another—oriented their thought patterns entirely in accordance with this political philosophy and sought to act in this way proved to be truly outstanding and, at the same time, moral figures.

[ 19 ] I recall Cobden, Bright, and so on—not to mention the greater figures who are usually cited—because in this field, once one is placed in a truly prominent position, it is very easy to—well, [go astray]. That is why I mention those who have not strayed in any direction, but who are truly significant in the sense I mean now; many other names could, however, be mentioned. What I have just characterized was indeed present there as an impulse right up into the 1890s, and in a certain sense it is the counterpart to what I previously characterized as lying within the Slavic peoples. For this way of thinking, as I have characterized it—this manner of forming thoughts for political orientation—is truly inherent in the character of the fifth post-Atlantean period. It belongs there; it must be developed there; and in the context I have described, it has been grasped in the right way. So on the one hand we have that which comes to light through reason, through wisdom, through political morality—we have that on the one hand; and on the other hand, we have that which is deeply rooted, I would say, not only in the minds but in the blood as a future national element.

[ 20 ] Now we must be clear that what I am telling you now is not merely my own insight, but rather something that people who were concerned with such matters throughout the 19th century viewed exactly as I have just described it to you. Particularly within those Western brotherhoods I have told you about, there was a very precise understanding of what I have explained to you, as well as of the connection between these things and the developmental current—the evolutionary current—from the fifth post-Atlantean epoch into the sixth post-Atlantean epoch. And among some individuals there was a will—we shall yet see to what extent this was for good or for evil—there was a will to make use of the corresponding forces. For you see, these are indeed forces that actually exist: on the one hand, the talent for the kind of thinking I have characterized; on the other hand, a corresponding element of future national identity.

[ 21 ] Anyone who wants to use something like this is free to do so. But, my dear friends, what I have described as a current is by no means the only one that exists; other currents exist alongside it, and little by little we must also point out these other currents. You see, there are means in the world for—I would say—carrying out large-scale suggestion. If one wants to carry out large-scale suggestion, then one must put something into the world that makes an impression. Just as one can suggest to an individual, as I have described to you, so too, by applying the appropriate means, one can suggest to entire groups of people—especially if one knows what specifically binds these groups of people together. One can direct the power that resides within an individual in a certain direction. That person may then be convinced of their deep love of peace, but what they do, they do because they are being influenced by an outside source—this person is entirely different from what they do. However, if one possesses the necessary knowledge, one can do the same with the minds of entire groups—one need only choose the appropriate means. One must, so to speak, take a force that has no specific direction—but which lives on, like the force found in certain Slavic tribes—and channel it in a certain direction through large-scale suggestion.

[ 22 ] Now there is one such suggestion on a grand scale—a suggestion that has had a truly marvelous effect on a grand scale and continues to have an effect and will continue to do so: This is the so-called “Testament of Peter the Great.” You are familiar with the story of Peter the Great; you know how hard Peter the Great strove to introduce Western ways of life into Russia. I need not describe this to you; you can read about it in any general encyclopedia, for I do not wish to recount external history here, nor to express sympathy for one side or the other, but only to point out certain facts, initially in a basic way. Now, much of what is said about Peter the Great is true, but the one thing that is not true is that he wrote that will, for this will is a forgery as far as Peter the Great is concerned. It does not originate from him, but appeared—as such things do—from all sorts of underlying currents; it was thrown into the course of human development, was suddenly there, but has nothing to do with Peter the Great, only with other underlying currents; yet it seems convincing, for it vindicates Russia—please, I am not speaking now of the [Russian]-Slavic people, but of Russia—[it provides it with justification] to expand into the Balkans in the future, all the way to Constantinople, to the Dardanelles, and so on. All of this is contained in the “Will of Peter the Great.” One is so moved by this “Testament of Peter the Great” that, upon becoming acquainted with it, one truly says to oneself: This is certainly no slapdash work, but rather it was brought into the world with a grand, ingenious stroke of genius. — I still sometimes think about the impression this “Testament of Peter the Great” once made when I went through it with individual students in a seminar-style setting during a course I was teaching, in order to demonstrate the significance of the individual paragraphs of this testament and how it has influenced the cultural development of Europe.

[ 23 ] Now, if one wants to have an effect through something like this, it is always a matter of not merely setting a current in motion, but of constantly crossing one current with another, so that these two currents influence each other in some way. For one does not achieve much by simply moving straight ahead with a current, so to speak; rather, one must sometimes be able to shed light on this current from the side, so that certain things become confused, so that certain traces are blurred, so that certain things, so to speak, get lost in an impenetrable thicket. This is very important. That is why certain occult currents, which pursue one goal or another, sometimes set themselves completely opposing tasks. But these opposing tasks have the effect of blurring virtually all traces. I could point you to a place in Europe where, at a certain time—when something of great significance was at stake—certain Masonic societies, so-called secret societies, exerted a great deal of influence; that is to say, certain people acted under the suggestive influence of certain Masonic societies with an occult background. However, the aim was to obscure the traces at that particular location. Therefore, some Jesuit influence was directed toward that same location, so that at this one location, Masonic and Jesuit influences converged. For there are indeed higher authorities who are just as much Freemasons as they are Jesuits; there are such empires that can make use of both Jesuitism and Freemasonry as instruments to achieve, through the interaction of the two, whatever they wish to achieve. One must not believe that there could be no people in the world who can be both at the same time—Jesuits and Freemasons—for these people are beyond merely acting from one side; they know how to approach matters from various angles if one wishes to steer them in a certain direction. I say this to point out—again in a basic way—certain connections.

[ 24 ] Well, Peter the Great—let’s return to him once more—introduced Western influences into Russia. To many who possess true Slavic souls—and this has always been the case, though it has become particularly pronounced during this time of war—to many true Slavic souls, everything that Peter the Great brought to Russia as a Western element is deeply hated; they harbor a deep antipathy toward it. On the other hand, there is the “Testament of Peter the Great,” which is not his own, but which somehow came to light and is at the same time capable of making suggestive use not of a single individual but of entire Slavic contexts, of extending a powerful suggestion across entire masses of people, within whom there simultaneously lives an antipathy toward the West, symbolized to them by the name of Peter the Great. Here, in what I would call a historically ingenious way, we have two things—sympathy for the “Testament of Peter the Great” and antipathy toward everything Western—interacting beautifully at the same time, interacting in such a way that an extraordinary effect can take hold. So here, in a sense, we have pointed to yet another aspect of the current in the East. I will show later on how such a current, after years of preparation, can then be utilized from a certain point onward. So we have a main current into which, as it were, two secondary currents have been allowed to flow. As I said right at the beginning, one must reckon with long periods of time: once such a current has been set in motion, it becomes something that can then be utilized [over a longer period of time].

[ 25 ] But let us prepare ourselves in another way as well. I would like to point out another current that now runs parallel in the West to the one that has, of its own accord, produced the most mature political thought to date for the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. This other current, to which I wish to draw your attention, has largely remained within the occult sphere and has only occasionally—by pouring itself into all manner of public activities—revealed its occult underpinnings. And here I must once again point to certain occult brotherhoods in the West. These are characterized above all by the fact that they are thoroughly familiar with the circumstances I have just described and communicate them to their students, instructing their students precisely on the state of the fifth and sixth post-Atlantean periods of development, what forces are at play there, how one element—the element of wisdom— and how the other—the ethnic element—operates, and so on; but at the same time, they show their students how such things can be used for one purpose or another.

[ 26 ] Now, in such an occult movement—which, as already mentioned, manifests itself in brotherhoods—a fundamental teaching is that what the Roman people were for the fourth post-Atlantean epoch, the English-speaking people are for the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. This is a fundamental teaching of these occult brotherhoods, and it is said that one must, under all circumstances, take the following into account: The Latin element, which finds expression in the various Romance cultures and peoples, is that to which one’s attention must first be directed. This element is destined—I am not teaching anything of my own accord, but merely repeating the teaching that has always been given—this element, which is permeated by the Latin current, is destined to sink deeper and deeper into materialism—into the materialism of science, into the materialism of life, into the materialism of religion. One need not concern oneself with this as such, for it will dissolve of its own accord through the decadence into which it is falling. One must therefore, it is said, focus one’s attention on the fact that what is called the Latin race is in the process of complete dissolution, that it is a dying element, and that one therefore has the task of arranging matters so that everything is undertaken with deliberation to ensure the demise of the Latin element.

[ 26 ] Now, in such an occult movement—which, as already mentioned, manifests itself in brotherhoods—a fundamental teaching is that what the Roman people were for the fourth post-Atlantean epoch, the English-speaking people are for the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. This is a fundamental teaching of these occult brotherhoods, and it is said that one must, under all circumstances, take the following into account: The Latin element, which finds expression in the various Romance cultures and peoples, is that to which one’s attention must first be directed. This element is destined—I am not teaching anything of my own accord, but merely repeating the teaching that has always been given—this element, which is permeated by the Latin current, is destined to sink deeper and deeper into materialism—into the materialism of science, into the materialism of life, into the materialism of religion. One need not concern oneself with this as such, for it will dissolve of its own accord through the decadence into which it is falling. One must therefore, it is said, focus one’s attention on the fact that what is called the Latin race is in the process of complete dissolution, that it is a dying element, and that one therefore has the task of arranging matters so that everything is undertaken with deliberation to ensure the demise of the Latin element.

[ 28 ] Now we must be aware that such things find their way into much of what is read in public, what is printed, and what otherwise seeps into human society in one way or another. People already have the means and methods to introduce them in such a way that what I have just described goes unnoticed. Just imagine—if what I have said were to become known in certain circles, it would, of course, be unthinkable! People simply phrase things differently; the point is to exert a suggestive influence. They phrase things differently. They do one thing but say another—and vice versa—and in this way, they can often do something that appears to be the opposite of what they want to happen—and yet they do it anyway!

[ 29 ] Consider such things, as I have outlined them so far, as a kind of intellectual atmosphere—for it is already ensured that they are a kind of intellectual atmosphere. One might read something here or there—something quite harmless—but between the lines—and this notion of “between the lines” can be something quite, quite real—between the lines one reads something entirely different, experiences something entirely different, and sees something entirely different. Yet people are immersed in this atmosphere—their thoughts are shaped by it. Sometimes the thoughts of the most intelligent people take on very particular forms. So if one wants to assess how people think, it is not enough to cultivate the enthusiasm of inattention, of which I have spoken frequently, but one must be attentive to the atmosphere that exists, in which people live, for that is something concrete; it is not that nebulous, abstract concept that many people refer to when they speak of the influence of the milieu and so on, such as Eucken, for example. He speaks of the influence of the milieu and fails to notice that, in his entire characterization, he is really saying, on the one hand: the milieu makes the person—and on the other hand: the milieu is made by the people—which amounts to roughly the same as: “I want to lift myself up by my own hair.” — From this perspective, one must view people’s immersion in what is called the milieu, but this milieu arises quite concretely from certain currents; it is not the indeterminate concept that many people have in mind.

[ 30 ] And now let’s take another specific case. You’ll have to forgive me—I already said last Monday: I can’t make it that easy for you; you’ll have to go into the details as well. You’ll see the context tomorrow. So let’s take another specific case. I would like to read you some passages from a letter that Mitrofanov, a history professor in St. Petersburg, wrote in mid-April 1914 to a German who had been his teacher at a German university and with whom he had remained friends. You should imagine this history professor—without needing to do anything further at this point—as being deeply involved in the various currents of thought. In April 1914, Mitrofanov wrote a letter containing the following passage:

[...] the resentment toward the Germans is in everyone's heart and on everyone's lips, and I believe public opinion has rarely been more unanimous.

[ 31 ] A particularly interesting passage in this letter is the following; I ask you to pay close attention to this passage, but not because of the name that appears in it—one may feel sympathy or antipathy, however strong those feelings may be—I merely wish to draw your attention to the formal aspect that comes alive there.

Perhaps Bismarck’s greatest political mistake was that he no longer wanted to be Russian, (...]

[ 32 ] — writes this St. Petersburg history professor —

[...] rather than the Russian diplomats, [...]

[ 33 ] — at the Congress of Berlin

[...] who, out of weakness and a lack of understanding, callously abandoned the interests of their homeland at the Congress.

[ 34 ] Just imagine—what a wonderful desire that is! The man accuses Bismarck of not having been “more Russian” than the Russian statesmen who were present at the Congress of Berlin at the time. That is why one must hate Bismarck’s compatriots. Everyone is free to think what they will about the matter, but this statement is, in any case, something extraordinarily original. But it is precisely because he indulges in such thoughts—this good professor from St. Petersburg—that he is also able to write:

In response to this, however [...]

[ 35 ] — in opposition to what emerged as the Triple Alliance in Central Europe —

[...] the Dual Alliance was formed, thereby linking Russia with a France thirsting for revenge, rather than having it belong to the Triple Alliance.

[ 36 ] He goes on to write:

For Russia, the Balkan question is not a “war of luxury,” nor is it an adventurous “dream of the Slavophiles”: its resolution is an unquestionable economic and political necessity. The entire Russian budget is based on exports to foreign countries; if the trade balance turns negative, the Russian treasury will go bankrupt, as it will be unable to pay the interest on its enormous foreign debts. And two-thirds of these exports pass through the southern ports and on through the two

Turkish straits. Once this outlet is closed, Russian trade will grind to a halt, and the economic consequences of such a blockade would be incalculable—the last Turkish-Italian war has amply demonstrated this. Only control of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles can put an end to this intolerable situation, because the existence of a world power like Russia must not depend on chance or the whims of others. On the other hand, Russia cannot possibly remain entirely indifferent to the fate of the South Slavs on the Balkan Peninsula. The small Balkan states serve, first, as a rear guard for the straits, and second, over the centuries, too much Russian blood and too much Russian gold have been spent on the Balkan heroes, [...]

[ 37 ] — keep that in mind along with some of what I said on Monday about the Slavic Charitable Committee — too much Russian gold was spent!—

[...] to let the whole thing slide now—it would be moral and political suicide for any Russian government. Of course, one must not overestimate the significance of the Pan-Slavic idea, but it undoubtedly exists and is alive, and the Slavophile demonstrations in 1913 on the streets of so many Russian cities—in which even opposition elements took part—are a striking expression of this.

[ 38 ] This letter from April 1914 then summarizes:

Once again: The drive southward is a historical, political, and economic necessity, and any foreign state that opposes this drive is, by its very nature, a hostile state. Meanwhile, the Triple Alliance is consistently pursuing this path toward war. In Austria, too, the drive southward is regarded as a historical necessity, and the Austrians are just as right from their standpoint as the Russians are from theirs. In the first half of the 19th century, the powerful Habsburg Monarchy had three directions in which it could expand: toward Italy, toward Germany, and toward the Balkan Peninsula. After 1866, only the last of these paths remained; Bismarck once again—this time perhaps unwittingly—pitted Austria and Russia against each other in a decisive struggle, and by forming the Triple Alliance, he placed the forces of the German Empire at Austria’s disposal. Austria naturally took advantage of this: wherever and whenever the Balkans were at stake, the Russians found Austria standing in their way. The annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which made a deep impression in Russia, was actually just one chapter in the thick book of Russo-Austrian hostility. So great was the outrage, so clearly did the danger loom, that even the exceedingly peace-loving Russian government, despite its finances still being in disarray at that time, was prepared for war.

[ 39 ] He is referring to the year 1908.

But the “Nibelung” on the Spree raised its armored fist in a threatening gesture, and Russia, unsure of its allies, was forced to yield. In 1913, the realization of the Slavic-Russian ideal finally seemed very close: the Turks had been dealt a crushing blow, and the victorious South Slavs advanced as far as Thessaloniki and Constantinople; just one more small push and the matter would be settled.

[ 40 ] This letter is quite interesting because it draws attention to a number of peculiar things. For example, the gentleman gets quite worked up about this:

The Essen workshops supplied the Turkish artillery with their cannons, which, while not quite on par with the Creuzot guns, were nevertheless very well made; and, most importantly, German instructors drilled the Ottoman field army.

[ 41 ] And further:

It has now become clear to the Russians: [(...]

[ 42 ] — April 1914 —

[...] If everything stays the way it is now, the route to Constantinople goes through Berlin. Vienna is really a secondary issue.

[ 43 ] April 1914! All sorts of things are then described, and what is described clearly shows that something very much like a dream of what is to happen in the near future is alive in this mind. Whether that person had imagined it would happen so soon is another question, but that person—along with his torso and limbs, of course—visited his teacher in Berlin [in July 1914]. They discussed all sorts of things, and I would also like to mention some of what was said there, specifically what the professor of history said:

If you do not let us have Constantinople, war is inevitable [...]

[ 44 ] At the time, he kept saying,

[...] that we [...]

[ 45 ] — the Germans —

[...] but that they were the teachers of the Russian people appointed by God, and that we need only maintain peace with them in order to spiritually conquer and subjugate the entire vast empire through our inner superiority.

[ 46 ] But he also replied:

Don't think you can defeat us; I own a house on my estate in Saratov that my ancestors have lived in for hundreds of years; but I would set it on fire with my own hands before I would allow German soldiers to take up quarters there.

[ 47 ] And then he said again:

Why the war? We could get along quite well with Russia by dividing Austria with it and incorporating German Austria into the German Empire—and thus the other part of Austria would go to Russia! This was said in mid-July 1914!

[ 48 ] You see, one could demonstrate in various ways how thought-forms are formed within the corresponding milieu. Many things have happened recently that may cause astonishment here and there. But what happens sometimes originates in individual instances in places where more autocratic forms prevail, while elsewhere it is sometimes driven more by popular movements. One must never generalize, for in one place it is one way, and in another it is different. For example, one might ask: What was the basis for the actions of a country like Romania—these peculiar, enigmatic actions? Well, I do not wish to speak here of what provided the final impetus, but I do wish to speak of the underlying current. I do not wish to speak in the way that is so common today—what is called a “historical” account—because this history, which gradually took shape from the 19th into the 20th century, is, at the root of it, not worth a grain of salt. A true history must proceed, so to speak, symptomatically; it must show the individual situations and illuminate things like flashes of lightning. I’d like to draw your attention to one such flash of lightning.

[ 49 ] Anyone familiar with the situation knows that many things in Romania have been puzzling for some time; but throughout the East, people were operating on the basis of a very specific assumption that, like a suggestive idea, held an immense sway over a great many people. I do not wish to characterize it based on general impressions, nor do I wish to tell you something vague; rather, I simply wish to share with you the remarks that the Romanian Minister of the Interior in 1913, Take Ionescu, made to a certain Mr. Redlich. He said, more or less verbatim, that in his opinion the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy would not survive beyond the death of Franz Joseph—and he was bound to die soon. Then the task would be to break this monarchy down into its individual parts. — That was a deeply held belief, and based on this deeply held belief, one’s entire line of thought was directed toward a specific goal. This, in turn, was another such suggestion that was widely held.

[ 50 ] In a letter written by another Russian, there is much discussion of what Russia could possibly still gain from France at this point. And it argues that Russia can no longer gain much from France for its actual plans, that Russia would in fact have to become France’s victim unless things changed. This letter, which comes from Kochubey—no, it is an essay written by Prince Kochubey and published in the Paris [biweekly] Le Correspondant on June 25, 1914—I am not citing just any newspaper article, but an essay by a well-known man who had thoroughly familiarized himself with the prevailing atmosphere of the time. He also discusses whether it might not be better—as I said, I’m just recounting—whether it might not, after all, be better for Russia to no longer rely on the French alliance but to align itself with Germany once again. Prince Kočubej explores this possibility. He writes, [based on the possibility of a targeted Russian advance into the Far East]:

But it was unfeasible because of the Franco-Russian Alliance, which made Russia a permanent adversary of Germany, its powerful western neighbor.

[ 51 ] You see, in this line of thinking, the situation is viewed in such a way that Russia is made into Germany’s adversary due to pressure from the French alliance.

Therefore, Russia faces a choice: to renounce its alliance with France in favor of a rapprochement with Germany = or to abandon its plan for expansion to the east [...]

[ 52 ] — its spread across to Asia —

[..] to let go.

[ 53 ] And then, a few lines later, he says:

But whatever surprises the future may hold for us, one thing is already certain: the Triple Entente would only be a genuine political alliance if France enforced three years of military service and England introduced universal conscription.

[ 54 ] June 19141 This, then, is how this prince views the Triple Alliance, which has gradually taken shape. For, he believes, the alliance with France alone would no longer suffice. Above all, the French would have to be quite strong, but that alone would not suffice; England would have to introduce universal conscription!

[ 55 ] As you can see, the idea is so far-reaching that there was no time left to implement it before the outbreak of war, but—universal conscription was nevertheless introduced in England. If one wants to understand the real conditions in the world, it is truly a matter of not merely picking out this or that at random, but of developing the will to look at what really matters. A single person can, after all, say something far more important than a hundred others who, like the blind, talk about color and merely parrot what they hear, and whose words have no effect.

[ 56 ] So I first attempted, on the one hand, to explain to you, my dear friends, how specific social milieus are formed, and on the other hand, to cite at least a few examples that show how people are situated within these milieus—and that if one wishes to understand the ideas expressed here or there, one must become familiar with this milieu. It is indeed necessary to thoroughly grasp, at least once, the demand that must be placed on life as it is developing today: not to cultivate the enthusiasm of inattention, but, so to speak, the enthusiasm of attention.

[ 57 ] We want to continue discussing such matters tomorrow and, building on that, try more and more to delve into the heart of the matter. We do need such details. It would be easier to just float around at a high level, but unless one is familiar with at least a few specific real-life cases, one cannot ask the right questions of the spiritual world.

[ 58 ] So we'll meet tomorrow at three o'clock.