The World Set Free · Chapter
The Last War explained
This chapter describes the outbreak and early phases of the Last War, emphasizing the obsolescence of political structures and the widespread patriotic fervor among ordinary people.
What happens
This chapter describes the outbreak and early phases of the Last War, emphasizing the obsolescence of political structures and the widespread patriotic fervor among ordinary people. Through Frederick Barnet's experiences, it depicts the mobilization, the initial battles in Belgian Luxembourg, and the gradual realization of catastrophic destruction, including the decapitation of armies and the devastation of Paris and Berlin. The narrative highlights the fickle emotions of the crowd, the chaos of war, and the breakdown of civilization.
Themes in this chapter
The Obsolescence of Nationalism and War
The chapter critiques the absurdity of nationalist war in an age of advanced technology, showing how primitive political ideas led to catastrophic conflict.
Technological Progress and Its Consequences
Atomic engines and aeroplanes are used in war, but the destruction of Paris and Berlin by atomic bombs reveals the devastating potential of unchecked technological advancement.
Social and Economic Transformation
The war disrupts society, causing refugees, cholera, and economic collapse, while the Labour Bureaux transform into enrolment offices, showing the shift from civilian to military economy.
Characters to notice
- Frederick Barnet
Narrator and common soldier; describes his journey through France, entrenchment in Belgian Luxembourg, and participation in the battle.
Key passages
“Viewed from the standpoint of a sane and ambitious social order, it is difficult to understand, and it would be tedious to follow, the motives that plunged mankind into the war that fills the histories of the middle decades of the twentieth century.”
From a rational perspective, the reasons for the war are incomprehensible and not worth detailing.
Sets the tone of the chapter, criticizing the irrationality of the war.
“The political ideas of the common man were picked up haphazard, there was practically nothing in such education as he was given that was ever intended to fit him for citizenship as such...”
Ordinary people had no real civic education, making them easily swayed by nationalist propaganda.
Explains the susceptibility of the masses to war fever.
“We heard there had been mischief with aeroplanes and bombs in Paris; but it didn’t seem to follow that ‘They’ weren’t still somewhere elaborating their plans and issuing orders.”
News of the destruction in Paris seemed unreal; soldiers assumed command structures still existed.
Highlights the disconnect between front-line soldiers and the catastrophic events behind the lines.