Ruin and Renewal: Civilizing Europe After World War II

Ruin and Renewal: Civilizing Europe After World War II by Paul Betts

What is civilization? The definition has changed over time and space. In the early 19th century, Germany was seen at the forefront of progressive civilization. They even thought of themselves as spreading "civilization" through less civilized areas of Europe. Even concentration camps were justified as ways of cleaning out impediments to civilization. The rest of the world did not buy this and after Germany was defeated German "civilization" was in the trash can. Both the US and Russia had differing views of civilization that they tried to enforce within the world. 

The European powers also wanted to return to their colonies after the war ended. They did not notice the irony of fighting a war in defence of "local freedom" only to decide to resume controlling their colonies. The locals saw the value of freedom and wanted it for themselves. The colonies achieved independence in various ways. Some had fought the colonizers. Others had a more peaceful handover. In some cases the colonizers acted "bitter" and took out much of their know how and "stuff" during the handover. In other cases, there was a more knowledge transfer. These colonies were also involved in the battles between the communists and capitalists both before and after freedom.

During the postwar era, global civilization came out. UNESCO was an organization to help protect global heritage. Other organizations such as the EU and the UN spanned multiple countries. Science and arts organization also worked together across country lines. Multiculturalism and identity sparked a backlash with a response of closed borders, nationalism and far right organizations. Where does civilization go from here? Have we learned the lessons of the past, or will we continue to cycle through the same problems again?