The Twentieth Century

 

For most of Europe, revolutions had had their day by the turn of the twentieth century. However, events would take place changing the idea of revolution forever. Regime/government change by force was largely unheard of until King Charles II of England in the 17th Century. Instigated by the new ideals of modernism, Europe began to thirst for change and dislike religious authority over government. The ideal of using force to effect change would transform. The twentieth century at a distance may be understood as the century of war. Indeed, there is a lot of truth to this. However, it may be better understood as the century of industry, secularism, and revolution.

First, we shall examine the term industry. Indeed, this concept goes back to modernism and truthfully nominalism as well, which had sources both philosophical and religious. On the one hand, humanity began to advance in areas non-religious and for the most part, this was because human flourishing was seen in light of heaven not of earth. The more these advances brought quality of life and efficiency, the less people (simple-minded folks) looked to faith for comfort. For a considerable number of people, the source of life no longer meant anything religious. Consequently, modern thought had a locus for a concrete application. Materialism was the new predominant premise. With each new advancement, people felt religion was more a personal hobby than a way of life. Travel and communication became easier and easier, and soon, so did war. Education, too, drastically increased. From the invention of steam technology long before came new ideas, like cars. Electric technology was used to light the night, power appliances, run manufacturing plants, and gave rise to computers. All of these new technologies were used to help win the war.

Second, secularism was the slippery and perhaps inevitable slope William of Ockham had begun the West on. No one needed the Church for approval anymore. For the Church, the culture had transitioned from a mostly content child to a rebellious teen. Knowledge was power and power was to be possessed by all, the world began to blame the Church for everyone’s lack of education and power. The rise of Marxism applied the self-interest of each to get rid of what was old and usher in anything else. Along with this line of thinking came democracy on the one hand and totalitarianism on the other, both allegedly requiring violent and/or subtle overthrow of whatever regime was in power. Monarchies, at best, were constitutionalized and power shifted to representative legislatures (this began even before modernism, with the Magna Carta in the 1200s, but was lauded by modern application), and at worst, were ended in a public execution. All of these forces would be in full bloom in the twentieth century, especially in the vein of revolution. Secularism changes the appearance of all aspects of life for the West. Atheism became a religious sentiment/sect and not just a personal doubt.

Third, new technology and new ideology inspired new excitement. This newfound energy was aimed at changing disconcerting, more or less real, cultural, economic, and governmental attributes. From 1870 to 1970, man found countless new ways to identify and bring death upon the enemy as though the good of the world depended on it (and for some it may be argued it did). Coup d’état was the defining premise of both world wars and even the United States-Afghanistan conflict. This idea of change through bold and violent action was decidedly rampant in Western thought. The effects this produced drove man to prefer denying truth to any sort of conflict, even where morality is concerned. Revolution took place in nearly every European country, and its fundamental sentiment remained and was applied to other nations during the World Wars. The creation and use of the Atom bomb changed the world forever and brought the Cold War.

In conclusion, the twentieth century, for the most part, may be characterized by moral and religious decline. The Church would have to find new ways to bring the Gospel to the people, the same culture that had decided to seek deadly battle and throw off the yoke of faith, now preferred denying truth altogether. Man also had felt taken care of by himself, supposedly without the need for God, but in truth, needing him more than ever. Historical man found new depths of wandering from God. Revolution after revolution, man used the pen he thought capable of rewriting the story for his good, only to find, much suffering. In spite of the evils that industry, secularism, and revolution brought, new social and racial unity was realized.

Written by Carter Carruthers & also available soon at Vivat Agnus Dei