What is Nihilism?

The "debilitating post-1848 mood" (314) was conceptualized by Nietzsche as 'nihilism,' a state of affairs and also a condition necessary for the creation of a 'new man,' one who would destroy the oppressive old world order and bring a new one to life. Included in this concept was the denial of feeble morality and the embrace of a new start to history, as well as the shattering of the idea of a purposeful universe.