The dominant mood in Western Civilization prior to 1914 was one of pride in its heritage, and confidence in its future progress. Advances in science and technology, as well as art and culture, the rising standard of living for all classes, the spread of democratic institutions, and a position of power and influence in the world all contributed to a sense of optimism. Furthermore, Europe had avoided a general war since the defeat of Napoleon in 1814. And the great powers had not waged war on one another since the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.

Over the past 2000 years, Western Civilization had risen to become an advanced industrial civilization spreading democracy and individual freedoms, as well as sharing a vast amount of technology and culture over the entire globe. It was consistently leading the world away from despotism and towards a culture that highly valued the individual. Per capita GDP broke away on a dramatic rise starting around 1820 as a result of the industrial revolution. Advances in transportation and communication were spreading people and ideas across the entire planet. It had broken out of Europe and settled other continents. Western Civilization had become the preeminent core of human progress.

The past was not without its mistakes, but there was a sense that the general trend of history was one of continual positive change.

Reflecting on the world he knew before the outbreak of World War I, historian Arnold Toynbee recalled what his generation had expected of the future:

A Great Confidence Eroded

The Great War of 1914-1918 was called great on account of its size as opposed to having any notable merit. It would later be renamed World War I in deference to its sequel that broke out in 1939. The European wars of the 18^th century were also world wars, being fought in India and North America and on the seas for control of new territories or trade routes. But these, not being wars of peoples, did not threaten civilization or close an era as was the case with World War I.

New technology afforded the ability to do damage on a scale previously unseen in warfare. Miles of railroad tracks delivered ammunition to the front lines where it was stockpiled in preparation for major offenses. A total of approximately 1.5 billion artillery shells were fired over the course of the war. The French Revolution had changed how armies were raised. Governments had previously been afraid of arming their population out of fear of rebellion. The method of conscripting men from the entire population instead of using mercenaries to fight wars meant that huge numbers of men were now available to use as soldiers.

The major powers went off the gold standard within weeks of the outbreak of war. Monetary inflation was used as a means of financing. Had the major powers remained on the gold standard, the war might have been over in a few months. Because governments could issue new currency endlessly, the financial constraints of waging war were greatly reduced.

During the major battles of World War I, more people died in one hour of combat than had died in the previous 100 years of all of Europe's wars, foreign and domestic. War had become, in a sense, mass production assembly line killing on an industrial scale.

At the same time that Europe was destroying its future, it was also tearing down its past. Towards the later years of the war, church bells and organ pipes were used as a source of metal for ammunition. In some cases these had been a central part of life for the people of a town for hundreds of years, and the locals mourned them as casualties along with the human loss.

The leadership in Europe had thought of war in an honorable, noble, and romantic sense. They saw war as virtuous self sacrifice for the betterment of their homelands. Only after seeing the youth of their countries die for nothing more than a few yards of mud did they begin to lose confidence in their own leadership. This lack of confidence within the upper classes of society contributed to the tone of Western Civilization after the war, and diminished what had previously been a strong sense of pride in previous achievements and optimism for the future.

This lack of confidence still lingers to this day, 100 years later. None of the participants of the war were free from guilt, as they all had avenues to pursue peace, but refrained from doing so in favor of pursuing their own aggressive aims. The Europe before 1914 had never been more confident in itself, or less aware of any challenge to its role as leader of the civilized world.

Sir Edward Grey came closest to understanding the looming destruction at the onset of the war when he said, "The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime." When, 30 years later, the lamps of political wisdom, intellectual and artistic progress, economic growth, and moral stability were rekindled, they shined less brightly than they had before in the ancient centers of European civilization.

Originally published May 25, 2015
Updated November 2018
Researched and Written by: Thomas Acreman

Sources:
  From Dawn to Decadence by Jaques Barzun
  Paris 1919 by Margaret Macmillan
  Western Civilization - Ideas, Politics, and Society