re created
or the alterations made in existing institutions as a consequence of the
struggle or as a result of the victory of a new class.

It has seemed to me that these underlying social forces are of more
importance than the individuals that were forced to the front in the
process of these struggles, or even than the laws that were established
to record the results of the conflict. In short, I have tried to
describe the dynamics of history rather than to record the accomplished
facts, to answer the question, "Why did it happen?" as well as, "What
happened?"

An inquiry into causes is manifestly a greater task than the recording
of accomplished facts. To determine causes it is necessary to spend much
time in the study of "original documents"--the newspapers, magazines,
and pamphlet literature of each period. In these, rather than in the
"musty documents" of state, do we find history in the making. Here we
can see the clash of contending interests before they are crystallized
into laws and institutions.

2. Social Tendencies as Social Forces[158]

The philosophy of the eighteenth century viewed external nature as the
principal thing to be considered in a study of society, and not society
itself. The great force in society was extraneous to society. But
according to the philosophy of our times, the chief forces working in
society are truly social forces, that is to say, they are immanent in
society itself.

Let us briefly examine the social forces which are at work, either
concentrating or diffusing the ownership of wealth. If it is true that,
necessarily, there is going forward a concentration of property, that
the rich are necessarily becoming richer, that wealth is passing into
fewer and fewer hands, this gives a strong reason for believing that
those are right who hold to the fact that every field of production must
soon be controlled by monopoly. If, on the other hand, we find that the
forces which make for diffusion are dominant, we may believe that it is
quite possible for society to control the forces of production.

a) Forces operating in the direction of concentration of wealth: (1)
The unearned increment of land, especially in cities, is no doubt a real
force. (2) The trust movement is operating in its earlier phases, at
least, in the direction of concentration. (3) In the third place, war,
whenever it comes, carries with it forces which bring wealth to the few
rather than to the many. (4) Arrangemen