A century ago, European civilization destroyed itself. After decades of optimism -- driven by the growth which came from the colonial subjugation of the Global South, industrialization, and of course capitalist exploitation at home -- the widespread dream that industrial technology and Enlightenment values would solve the worlds problems came crashing down as that very technology and those very values were deployed in a bloodbath of unprecedented proportions, The European aristocracy flung itself to its death in the trenches, taking with them some 37 million people. Which was nothing compared to the death which was to come later. With the brief and illusory exception of the 20s, Europe was to burn in the fires of its political chaos until 1945. Modern global civilization, for better or for worse, rose from its ashes. Very, very few wars start for good reasons, but even as bad wars go the Great War takes the cake. At the end of the day there is literally no good reason for it to have started -- it was a brain fart of the ruling class, the result of multiple empires engaging in a grotesque cock-size competition. I cant say I regret that the ruling class of Europe destroyed itself, given that modern social democracy was the eventual result; but how truly and profoundly tragic it is that countless millions had to die in the process, and that at the moment were in the process of undoing what little good came out of the last brutal century. Anyway, heres some British black comedy on the matter. liveleak/view?i=641_1285524199
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 01:25:05 +0000
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