In terms of things which would have occurred to them, perhaps things are better than they were. (Did anywhere in the world allow women the vote in 1918?)
In terms of things which wouldn't have occurred to them, things are much worse; the involuntary human extinction project is doing well.
Major wars in the industrial age kill a disproportionate number of idealists, one way or another; if the folks who had signed up early to end slavery had survived the American Civil War, you get a different political outcome. It's kinda that way with the Great War; not only was there no political legitimacy left, there was a real shortage of persons with a positive social vision afterwards and no shortage of panic among the advantaged classes. It lead to a poor political outcome.
I am weirdly reminded of something attributed to Jan Smuts, the Griqua Prayer, that "the Lord should come Himself and not send His Son, as this is not a time for children." I don't think there's a spirit of quantitative analysis, but we could use one.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2018-11-11 05:04 am (UTC)In terms of things which wouldn't have occurred to them, things are much worse; the involuntary human extinction project is doing well.
Major wars in the industrial age kill a disproportionate number of idealists, one way or another; if the folks who had signed up early to end slavery had survived the American Civil War, you get a different political outcome. It's kinda that way with the Great War; not only was there no political legitimacy left, there was a real shortage of persons with a positive social vision afterwards and no shortage of panic among the advantaged classes. It lead to a poor political outcome.
I am weirdly reminded of something attributed to Jan Smuts, the Griqua Prayer, that "the Lord should come Himself and not send His Son, as this is not a time for children." I don't think there's a spirit of quantitative analysis, but we could use one.