The end of Golden Age

“In the 20th century, Europe went to hell and came back,” said Ian Kershaw, who wrote about 100 Years of European history in the 20th century in his book ‘Europe 1914-1949.’ One of the themes he pays attention to in 20th-century European history is the obsession with the golden age. From the 19th to the 20th century, humankind's expectations were never short of that of the New Millennium in the 20th to 21st century.

The period was not a golden age. It was just before an eruption because the war was approaching. Conflicts between the international community, economy, and classes were already exploding, and a few intellectuals predicted war. Still, no one could win against the belief that the end of the 19th century was a golden age and that it would continue.

Even after the end of World War I, people were far from realizing that the golden age was an illusion, and nostalgia for the ear grew stronger. Rather than looking into the reason that brought the world into hell, people preferred to leave the world on the other side of hell as a beautiful memory, a utopia. The price to pay for such an illusion was substantial. Even before a generation passed, Europe was again sucked into a world war, leaving winners and losers broke.

History tells us that mankind has never failed to predict the future. The results always come from our own hands. Disasters in human history do not occur because we cannot predict them but because we ignore them.

The end of the year 2022 is only a few days away. As the year comes to an end, it would be the right thing to do to remember the beautiful parts and yearn for an even brighter future. Yet, since the start of the 21st century, after walking just as long as the duration between World War I and World War II, we arrived at the entrance to the steel valley that the century must go through, not the golden garden.

The test of history we face every 100 years or every generation is like the month of the truth. Only a group of people, who overcome the lies and agitation of pseudo-intellectuals and despicable politicians and can calmly respond to reality, will be able to smile faster than others on the other side of the wall.