‘A time will come when a politician who has wilfully made war and promoted international dissension will be as sure of the dock and much surer of the noose than a private homicide. It is not reasonable that those who gamble with men's lives should not stake their own.’
The Salvaging of Civilization was written in 1921, at a time when Europe was still dealing with the aftermath of the Great War. There was one question on everyone’s mind: What is the future of Europe? Shall it collapse like the Western Roman Empire? Or shall there be a new civilization that becomes the bedrock of world peace? With the development of mechanical warfare, Wells argued that abolishing warfare was a must if civilization wanted to survive. To achieve this task, Wells proposed the foundation of a World State. Boundaries will fade and the differences that cause conflicts will be eliminated through education. This Utopian vision of a World State was Wells’ solution to a desperate Europe searching for a future.
Herbert George Wells, commonly known as H. G. Wells, was a British writer and one of the most famous science fiction writers in the world. His most notable books include The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds.