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148 particular, in the decay of the countries which are richest in capital (such as England).

In regard to the rapidity of Germany's economic development, Riesser, the author of investigations on the great German banks, states: "The progress of the preceding period (1848-1870), itself not so slow, may be compared to the rapidity of the development of all German economy, and in particular, of the banks, during the period under consideration (1870-1905), in much the same way as the speed of a post-chaise of the good old days can be compared with that of the modern automobile which moves so fast that it becomes a danger to the careless pedestrian and to the passengers." In its turn, this finance-capital, which has grown great with such speed, is not unwilling (precisely because it has grown so quickly) to pass on to a more "tranquil" enjoyment of colonies which call for conquest—and not only by peaceful methods—from richer nations. In the United States, the economic development of late years has been far quicker than in Germany, and just thanks to this has brought into high relief the parasitic character of modern American capitalism. On the other hand, the comparison even of the republican American bourgeoisie with the monarchical Japanese or German shows that the greatest political differences become insignificant during the imperialist period—not because they are unimportant in general, but because throughout it is a case of a bourgeoisie with definite traits of parasitism.

The receipt of high monopoly profits by the capitalists of one of the numerous branches of industry, of one of the numerous countries, etc., gives them the economic possibility of corrupting