Arno J. Mayer

Arno Mayer is a historian focused on modern Europe, whose work examines the tension between rapid economic modernization and a lagging political order. He posits that "The Thirty Years' Crisis" between 1914 and 1945 stemmed from the clash between a dynamic industrial society and a rigid aristocratic power structure. Mayer analyzes how the aristocracy's efforts to maintain power led to the major conflicts of the 20th century. His analyses offer a distinct perspective on the origins of the World Wars and the Holocaust.