ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book considers main trends, in economy, society, culture, science, politics and international relations, between the mid-nineteenth century and the outbreak of the First World War, also commenting on times and places which were exceptions to these trends. Most of the economic and social developments of the 1850-1914 era, discussed in the book, were largely non-existent in Europe during the previous decades. The growing importance of organized associations, the pervasiveness of special-interest groups, and the organizations of mass politics were all features of the years 1914 to 1945 that were well in place before the First World War began. There are, however, a range of breaks directly related to the First World War, the book categorize in three areas: the economy, the practice of both domestic politics and international relations, and individual life courses.
