The End of 1945
Much of the post-World War II consensus no longer survives: Few people can muster enthusiasm for the UN, the European dream is in crisis, and the social-democratic welfare state is being eroded more and more every day. But today, seventy years later, we would do well to remember why that consensus was forged in the first place.
NEW YORK – On May 8, 1945, when World War II in Europe officially ended, much of the world lay in ruins. But if the human capacity for destruction knows few limits, the ability to start over again is just as remarkable. Perhaps that is why mankind has so far managed to survive.