In this volume, Stoddard reviews the countries of Europe during the years leading to World War I, also known as the
Great War. The mindset of the people and the maneuvering of the different governments were the catalysts that led to this Great Tragedy. It was the beginning of the end for European dominance and mastery of the world. The tragic losses to come took from them their
colonies, their
power, their
economic might, and, sadly,
massive numbers of their greatest men. The war's failures solidified the situation, leading to a second, even more costly war. It brought with it the loss of
generations of the population, the destruction of so many
cities, f
inancial ruin, and, even more deadly, new generations of leaders who have spent their efforts ensuring the loss of nearly every country to
waves of
third-world immigration. This episode has clearly led to the
decline of the Western Civilization, which conquered and civilized the world, to a foolish idea of a '
melting pot' of
unassimilable people, and to the
loss of the cultures their forefathers gave all to create and maintain.
