After 1859, The Origin of Species had finally entered the public consciousness. As the theories presented by Darwin were simultaneously celebrated, condemned or challenged, this sparked a new form of self-awareness. Because Darwin initially avoided addressing the ultimate question of human evolution until the publication of The Descent of Man in 1871, this led others to pursue the question further with various explanations. Known as the father of German Darwinism, Ernst Haeckel's Natürliche Schöpfungsgeschichte (The History of Creation) was first published in German in 1868 and translated into English in 1876. Haeckel would confront what Darwin had eluded in the Origin with distinct social and political predispositions and influences. To fully understand the development of German Darwinism, one must take a close look at the German ethos of the 19th century. Basically, "Darwinism" (Weindling, 1989, p. 311) matured simultaneously with the unification of Germany in 1871. The transformation of Germany into a politically "unified" nation would have a profound influence on the evolution , the reception and, ultimately, the misappropriation of Darwinian theory. theories, indicating that “there were social reasons…why Darwin's more radical implications were attractive” (Bowler, 2009, p. 187). For example, the intensifying struggle for political power between the Catholic Church and right-wing landowners against the growing socialist movement caused a huge popularization of Darwinism. As support grew, Darwinism was used to reaffirm the core principles of the socialist left. Haeckel's own writings contained “primarily liberal ideals and aspirations” (Paul, 2009, p. 237). Indeed, Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection has been widely contested......middle of article......fusal with confronting the complex and often ambiguous nature of human history . Works CitedBowler, Peter J. Evolution: The History of an Idea. University of California Press, 2009Bowler, Peter J. Biology and social thought 1850-1914. University of California Press, 1993Larson, B. The Dark Side of Nature: Science, Society, and the Fantastic, Pennsylvania State University Press, 2005Paul, Daine B. “Darwin, Social Darwinism, and Eugenics” in Cambridge Companion to Darwin edited by Jonathon Hodge and Gregory Radick, Cambridge University Press, 2009 Reichert, J. Disciplining the Erotic-Grotesque in Edogawa Ranpo's Demon of the Lonely Isle in The Culture of Japanese Fascism edited by Alan Tansman, Duke University Press, 2009 Weindling, P. 'Ernst Haeckel and Darwinism' in History, Humanity and Evolution edited by James R. Moore, Cambridge University Press, 1989