Talk of the New World Order has dominated almost every other topic in recent years. But what was the old order - the system that ruled the world after the end of World War II – that we are saying goodbye to? Historians agree that it was built on five myths: the imminent end of the world, the idea of the hero, the monster, the martyr, and the final resurrection.
World War II was one of the most destructive events in human history. For the men and women who lived through it, the experience was often too overwhelming for conventional language to describe.
Instead, they turned to religious or mythological imagery to understand the incomprehensible. These images and ideas have remained deeply rooted ever since, forming the foundation upon which the post-war order was built. But now, with the passing of the generations that lived through the war, the myths they lived by have begun to fade.
Perhaps the most powerful image to emerge in 1945 was the myth of "Armageddon." Victor Klemperer noted that the ruins of Munich in 1945 reminded him of Judgement Day.
Eyewitnesses from Warsaw, Manila, and Hiroshima used similarly apocalyptic language because they could find no other way to express the sheer enormity of what they witnessed. Even historians sometimes use the same metaphors; for example, Max Hastings' bestselling history on the end of the war is titled Armageddon.
For the war generations, this myth represented a valuable warning: "We must never allow ourselves to slide into a world war."
Amidst that catastrophic landscape of 1945, there were three other myths: the hero, the martyr, and the monster. Every nation had its own version of this trilogy, but the stereotypes endured. Out of all the myths that emerged from 1945, this one is perhaps the most important because it gave the war its meaning. It was the prize awarded to heroes and martyrs, making their sacrifices feel worthwhile. It was also the idea that gave the perpetrators of the war a chance to atone for their sins.
These five myths (the imminent end of the world, the idea of the hero, the monster, the martyr, and the final resurrection) yielded the overarching narrative upon which the post-war world was built. Today, the generations that constructed these myths are passing away. With their departure, we are losing the bond that held the international order together.
Over the past twenty years, each of these myths and archetypes has lost its grip on the global consciousness. Take the archetype of the hero, for example. No one truly believes in the Soviet war hero anymore, and the image of the British war hero has been tarnished by its colonial past. Even the American soldier is subject to constant criticism. The respect that Europeans once held for the "Greatest Generation" has dwindled due to recent American behavior, particularly threats to invade European territories like Greenland. In short, the hero is dead. Did he ever even exist?
The same applies to the martyrs of the war. For decades, "the Jew" was the universal martyr, but this symbol is now also being undermined by critics of events in the Middle East. Criticism of Israel now regularly morphs into a renewed hatred of Jews, with devastating consequences for Jewish communities worldwide. While historians tirelessly attempt to remind people that "Israel" and "Judaism" are not the same thing, much of the world has stopped listening.
Just as the image of the global martyr is being distorted, the global "monster" is also being rehabilitated. Nazis and their symbols are no longer ostracized as they once were. Extreme right-wing ideology has witnessed a rise across the globe over the past twenty years.
Farewell.
