CHAPTER VI. WHAT IS A NATION? Difficulty of defining nationhood—Prof. Ramsay Muir’s definition not adequate—mental organisation, resting on tradition, the most essential condition—lack of clear conceptions has given currency to many obscure notions—the study of nationhood essentially the work of group psychology 96-105 CHAPTER VII. THE MIND OF A NATION National character defined—conditions essential to its formation—homogeneity a prime condition—the influence of racial qualities on national character—the durability of racial qualities—acquired mental homogeneity as illustrated by the American nation—the influence upon it of geographical conditions 106-130 CHAPTER VIII. FREEDOM OF COMMUNICATION AS A CONDITION OF NATIONAL LIFE Large nations impossible in the ancient world—the tendency of nations to grow larger with increase of means of communication 131-134 CHAPTER IX. THE PART OF LEADERS IN NATIONAL LIFE Nations owe their existence to influence of leaders—men of genius—men of talent—their _rôle_ in national life 135-141 CHAPTER X. OTHER CONDITIONS OF NATIONAL LIFE A common purpose—war the unifier—national responsibilities—continuity of national life—organisation of the national mind analogous to that of the individual mind—national self-consciousness—types of organisation 142-154 CHAPTER XI. THE WILL OF THE NATION Rousseau’s doctrine of the general will—Prof. Bosanquet’s view inadequate—the national mind has both organic unity and the unity of self-consciousness—increase of national self-consciousness the leading fact of recent world history—self-consciousness of nations developed by rivalry and intercourse between them 155-168 CHAPTER XII. IDEAS IN NATIONAL LIFE The idea of the nation is constitutive—ideas work as forces in national life only in virtue of sentiments grown up about their objects—the notions of society as an organism and as founded on contract synthesised in the conception of the nation as a contractual organism—the value of nationality examined—ideas of conquest—of ancestor worship—of liberty and equality—of progress—of solidarity 169-186 CHAPTER XIII. NATIONS OF THE HIGHER TYPE National deliberation—the influence on it of organisation and of traditions—certain advantages of the representative system—public opinion arises from an informal organisation—the problem of the high level of public opinion—its solution to be found in the influence of leaders 187-199 PART III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL MIND AND CHARACTER CHAPTER XIV. FACTORS OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT