Here are ten pictures that convey how far Western Civilization has fallen over the last centuries

The Decline of Western Civilization in 10 Pictures

by Stephen M. Klugewicz


Without any ado, here are ten pictures that convey how far Western Civilization has fallen over the last centuries.

1. Mozart conducting one of his own settings of the Mass, circa 1780; modern church service with rock band





2. Crowd watching baseball game, early twentieth century; crowd watching baseball game, early twenty-first century





3. St. Andrew, crucified for preaching the Gospel in defiance of Roman authority; Timothy Cardinal Dolan with President Barack Obama, a vocal supporter of partial-birth abortion





4. St. Vitus Cathedral (Prague), built in the fourteenth century; Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (Los Angeles), built in 2002





5. Renaissance sculpture “Perseus with the Head of Medusa,” by Benvenuto Cellini (Florence, Italy); modern sculpture, “Male/Female,” by Jonathan Borofsky (Baltimore)





6. Lecture, medieval times; modern lecture





7. Leonardo Da Vinci”s “Mona Lisa” (1506/1517); Willem de Kooning’s “Woman III” (1953)





8. Popular music composer of the late nineteenth century; popular music composer of the late twentieth century





9. Bestselling volume of the seventeenth century; bestselling volume of the twenty-first century





10. Young men in the city, 1940s; young men in the city, modern times



The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politics—we approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now.

We hope you will join us in The Imaginative Conservative community. The Imaginative Conservative is an on-line journal for those who seek the True, the Good and the Beautiful. We address culture, liberal learning, politics, political economy, literature, the arts and the American Republic in the tradition of Russell Kirk, T.S. Eliot, Edmund Burke, Irving Babbitt, Wilhelm Roepke, Robert Nisbet, Richard Weaver, M.E. Bradford, Eric Voegelin, Christopher Dawson, Paul Elmer More and other leaders of Imaginative Conservatism. Some conservatives may look at the state of Western culture and the American Republic and see a huge dark cloud which seems ready to unleash a storm that may well wash away what we most treasure of our inherited ways. Others focus on the silver lining which may be found in the next generation of traditional conservatives who have been inspired by Dr. Kirk and his like. We hope that The Imaginative Conservative answers T.S. Eliot’s call to “redeem the time, redeem the dream.” The Imaginative Conservative offers to our families, our communities, and the Republic, a conservatism of hope, grace, charity, gratitude and prayer.


Source: www.theimaginativeconservative.org