The Decline of Europe in the Shadow of Violence

The 20th Century

Abstract

It is possible to define the history of Europe in the 20th century with the following three - slightly exaggerated - statements: 1. Creating a story about the success of West European integration. It needs, however, to be tied to the question of historic circumstances, future development, and the finality of natural resources. If we take all of this into consideration, the basis of these hitherto integrational motives is already somewhat modified. 2. The concept of an abyss between East and West as perhaps a normatively undesirable, but actually present social discord between the two. The East will probably not merely accept the present Western model; it is far more probable to expect a certain degree of dialectic mutual influence. The East, striving to join the West under certain conditions, will thus be given an opportunity to affect the West, and the latter shall have to change as well. Yet it is not possible to predict any results by historical means. 3. A centurv of violence in Europe at the same time testifies to a great fragility of progress vvhich has not been dispatched vvith yet, but has retumed from the Sarajevo of 1914 to the Sarajevo of 1992/1996. All of the diverse causes for the appearance of these violent circumstances have not been entirely discovered and historically researched yet; it is very possible that a number of already disclosed causes have not been surmounted so far.