Two wars and the Holocaust were needed to dislodge aristocratic presumption from Europe

Evidence

Nor did the collapse of the Central European monarchies in 1917-18 settle matters: ‘It would take two World Wars and the Holocaust … to finally dislodge the feudal and aristocratic presumption from Europe’s civil and political societies.’ — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism, 185

Categorization

• CANDY: A striking, single-sentence encapsulation of Mayer’s thesis good for elevator conversation about how deep aristocratic persistence ran in Europe.