Hans-Hermann Hoppe argues that World War I marked the point at which Western civilization entered a decisive decline. This catastrophic war, which plunged the entire world into tragedy, was not merely a matter of redrawing borders or shifting political regimes. It was an ideological disaster in which the values of individual liberty, order, and civilizational restraint—painstakingly accumulated by Europe over generations—were fundamentally shattered.
Before the war, the period from the late 19th century to the early 20th century known as the Belle Époque was a "beautiful era." State intervention and regulation over the individual were far less prevalent than today. Welfare systems were minimal, child labor was legal, and the stable financial foundation of the gold standard kept currency values secure. It was almost unthinkable for governments to arbitrarily print money, trigger inflation, or confiscate private property; instead, high levels of autonomy and private property rights were strictly respected.
However, everything changed with the outbreak of World War I. Under the total mobilization of wartime, state power expanded exponentially. As Hoppe points out, the demise of monarchies and the rapid introduction of mass democracy created a system in which shortsighted political forces and interest groups could legally infringe upon the property of others. Under the guise of the welfare state, an ever-expanding government began imposing regulations on virtually every aspect of daily life—from labor and wages to freedom of contract—while ceaseless monetary expansion completely destroyed any predictability for the future.
This expansion of state power was far from harmless. The seeds of totalitarianism planted by the war gave birth to the monster of Bolshevism through the Russian Revolution, leading to the massacre of royalty, intellectuals, and countless citizens under an unprecedented reign of terror. In Germany, National Socialism swallowed democratic procedures whole, and in the modern era, this trajectory has culminated in the bloated bureaucracy of the European Union, which suppresses individual liberty and breeds centralized regulation.
The boundless expansion of state authority, excessive regulation, and chronic inflation we face today are all legacies of World War I. I deeply long for the Europe of the Belle Époque, an era with minimal regulation, genuine peace, and a profound respect for individual responsibility and trust as the true assets of civilization.
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