C., the centennial wave pushes
forward, bringing into prominence the following nations, each in its
turn--the Assyrians, the Medes, the Babylonians, the Persians, the
Greeks, the Macedonians, the Carthagenians, the Romans, and the Teutons.
The striking periodicity of the wars in Europe is also noticed by Dr. E.
Zasse. Beginning with 1700 A.D., every ten years have been signalized
by either a war or a revolution. The periods of the strengthening and
weakening of the warlike excitement of the European nations represent a
wave strikingly regular in its periodicity, flowing incessantly, as if
propelled onward by some fixed inscrutable law. This same mysterious
law seems also to connect these events with the astronomical wave or
cycle, which governs the periodicity of solar spots. The periods when
the European powers have shown the most destructive energy are marked by
a cycle of fifty years' duration. It would be too long and tedious to
enumerate them from the beginning of history. We may, therefore, limit
our study to the cycle beginning with the year 1712, when all the
European nations were fighting each other in the Northern, and the
Turkish wars, and the war for the throne of Spain.
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