The world order established after World War II was not just political or economic; it was also cultural and moral. Led by the United States and later embraced by Europe and parts of Southeast Asia, this new era normalized a lifestyle centered around material comfort and individual pleasure. Beautiful homes, luxurious vacations, expensive cars and a cult of personal freedom and consumption defined this modern "Belle Époque" (literally meaning "Beautiful Age" in French and referring to the period between 1871 and 1914 in European history). And now, it seems we are witnessing its end.
What is happening in Gaza today is not just a war or humanitarian crisis; it is a moral collapse of an entire civilization. For decades, the West has wielded terms like “human rights,” “democracy” and “freedom” as instruments of global influence. Now, as children starve and civilians are slaughtered, we see those very powers either actively supporting or passively condoning a genocide. This is not merely hypocrisy; it is the death of the values they claimed to uphold.
The historical Belle Époque was an era when Europe’s elites immersed themselves in art, fashion, science and leisure, while their empires ravaged Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Today, we are living through a reversed version of that age: violence is no longer hidden and pleasure is no longer noble. Gaza is not in the shadows; it is on the screen, visible to all, screaming through every feed.
Gaza has become a floodlight, exposing the cracks in the myths the West told about itself. What does “women’s rights” mean if it doesn’t apply to Palestinian women? Are “child protections” reserved only for Ukrainian children? Why is “freedom of speech” a right only when it aligns with imperial interests, while students and academics are silenced for opposing genocide? These are no longer fringe questions; they are echoing across the conscience of entire societies.
Gaza is also triggering a new geopolitical consciousness. As the West’s moral dominance crumbles, new powers rise. The Global South finds its voice. BRICS grows in influence. People everywhere are no longer content with wealth; they demand justice. And this yearning for justice directly threatens the shallow, comfortable order we’ve grown used to.
Hedonism still thrives, but it is now more vulgar, more hollow and more transparent. Social media shows us, in real time, both the atrocities in Gaza and the extravagance of millionaire influencers. This dissonance is breaking something in the modern psyche. The words are no longer enough. The truth is too loud.
At this crossroads, the question is not just whether a historical cycle is ending, but whether a civilizational delusion is collapsing. Was the West’s postwar “modernity” a triumph of progress or a polished age of denial?
History, it seems, is pacing again. Gaza is not only a tragedy; it is a catalyst. And if this truly is the end of an age, it will mark not the fall of a people – but the fall of a story the world was told for 80 years.
