Of course at the end of the day the Daleks survive. It's actually quite shocking to see their actions at the end of the story, as Davros first orders them to turn on the traitors to the Dalek cause, then later when Davros realises that the Daleks are taking over from him he attempts to stop them, only to be exterminated himself. He begs for mercy and pity, to be acknowledged as a being higher than the Daleks, however these terms are all alien to a Dalek, ones which he specifically had removed to make them better at killing. It's a dark moment for the series and a reminder that the evil metal pepper-pots are legitimately evil.
But this is not a sad ending. The Doctor at one point finds himself with the power to destroy the Daleks once and for all, and yet he can't quite bring himself to do it. He questions whether he has the right to destroy an entire intelligent species, even if that species is the Daleks. He knows that for all the suffering that the Daleks have brought, they have also inspired civilisations to go forth in peace, to protect others from the Daleks' menace. Alliances have been formed and friendships created all because of the Daleks.
I'm writing this at 11:42 on Christmas Eve. Watching Genesis of the Daleks in the lead up to Christmas has been interesting. I've not been able to feel as festive, knowing that each night I will see more destruction and death from this story. But in the end, it does oddly represent Christmas. It shows that even in the darkest places, there can still be hope and there can still be light. Even the Daleks, the most evil beings in the universe, can create hope (even if this may be unintentional), and through hope, the universe can be a little bit of a better place.
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