The intestinal fortitude of their forbears died in the mud of Verdun, the Somme and Passchendaele.
Europe never recovered from The Great War.
I would say World War I is where Western Civ really shot itself in the foot and we are living with the consequences today. It was so unnecessary. It was basically a fight of the royal houses. I think WWI would have ended under negotiation by all side had the U.S. not entered the war and tipped the balance.
What you said.