The Crisis of Civilization, by Hilaire Belloc, originally published 1937, reprinted in
2009 by TAN Books and Publishers
There are many words that can describe Hilaire Belloc, but “namby-pamby,”
“equivocating,” “politically-correct” and “sugarcoating” certainly have no place in any
depiction of this great Catholic controversialist. Belloc spent most of the first half of the
twentieth century defending the Catholic Church against its enemies, as well as striving
to save Western Civilization and Europe from the forces that he believed would destroy
all that was good and decent on the continent.
The Crisis of Civilization contains extended analyses and summaries of major themes that
can be found in many of Belloc’s other works. He has attacked both communism and
capitalism in The Servile State and An Essay on the Restoration of Property. His theories
on how Protestantism and Islam hurt the position of the Church and Catholic culture have
been expounded in more detail in The Great Heresies, The Crusades: The World’s
Debate, How the Reformation Happened, Characters of the Reformation, and Europe and
the Faith. The last book concludes with the famous lines, "Europe will return to the
Faith, or she will perish. The Faith is Europe. And Europe is the Faith." In The Crisis of
Civilization, Belloc posits that the Catholic Faith brings freedom, and without it people
are doomed to slavery, be it the slavery of tyrannical governments, or unelected autocrats
who wield economic power outside the realm of government.
At the core of Belloc’s thesis is the belief that the best way to ensure a free, just, moral,
and profitable society is to follow the teachings of the Catholic Church and apply them to
the world, from the workings of government and international relations, to economics and
business, to personal behavior. In Belloc’s view, Communism is a danger to society due
to its inherent atheism, its reliance on a powerful and unaccountable central government,
and its denial of private property. Capitalism, Belloc contends, is flawed for very
different reasons, including its promotion of usury, making certain segments of society
incapable of ever achieving economic independence, creating a divisive business culture
of competition, and celebrating greed. Belloc advocates a third economic path, one that
he and his friend G.K. Chesterton defined and termed Distributism. Distributism is based
on the papal encyclicals on property, economics and social justice, and advocates the
widespread possession of private property, a business community where all members are
their brothers’ keepers, and moral actions at all times.
Furthermore, Belloc contends that many of the commonly held versions of European
history, often referred to as the Whig version of history, present a picture of the Catholic
Church that is criminally flawed. Firstly, Belloc takes umbrage to some of the famous
historical theories that contend that Christianity contributed to the fall of the Roman
Empire. Far from this being the case, Belloc argues, the Roman Empire was already
disintegrating without outside influence, but Christianity saved much of what was worth
saving of the empire’s society and civilization. In the twentieth century, Western
Civilization came under fire from numerous ideological and other outside forces, and
Belloc believes that a dangerous situation has arisen that desperately needs attention,
otherwise the fallout could be disastrous for the world.
Belloc opens with the following words of warning:
[O]ur civilization, that is, the civilization of Christendom, today occupying Europe,
especially Western Europe, and radiating thence over the New World… has arrived at a
crisis where it is in peril of death. I propose therefore to describe how that civilization
arose, upon what main lines it developed, what institutions it produced and depended
upon, and when it was at its height. I next propose to show historically how it became
disunited and thereby spiritually enfeebled while materially progressing, until at last with
the destruction of the moral tradition by which it had existed and was precariously
maintained, even while that tradition was weakening, it lost its very principle of life and
may therefore, unless we return to that principle, dissolve.
A large portion of this book is devoted to summarizing the entirety of Western
Civilization, and in Belloc’s narrative the hero of the story is the Catholic Church. In
Belloc’s narrative, the medieval era was not some benighted “Dark Ages,” but a golden
age of civilization, a time when guilds and moral standards kept Europe stable and just,
despite a host of physical and international problems.
Belloc was a master at crafting impassioned arguments, but the effectiveness of his
powers of persuasion is far more open to debate. The staunch Catholic who resents the
ingrained modern prejudice against his faith in contemporary culture and intellectual life,
and who also seeks to fight social injustices despite his discomfort with popular opinions,
may very well find a kindred spirit in Belloc. Belloc’s confrontational style may very
well chafe some readers, but if ever there was a man who did not care about pleasing all
of the people all of the time, it was Belloc. Belloc was the kind of person who would
infinitely prefer to be speak his mind than be liked. He seems to take a special joy in
tearing apart the legacy of prominent figures such as Marx, Darwin, and Calvin.
People will have different reactions to his Belloc’s opinions, but his sincerity is always
evident in every word of his manifesto. The disgust he feels toward those who blame the
Church for the world’s ills is palpable, as is his skepticism for the future of the world. As
his concluding pages and his plans for building a better tomorrow prove, Belloc believes
that the future is not entirely bleak and that society’s problems could be ameliorated
(though probably not completely cured) by following his prescriptions for creating a
more just society, although he has no starry-eyed dreams of a utopian future. Indeed,
Belloc seems to imply that the best that can be hoped for is the improvement of the lives
of as many people as possible, as well as counteracting some of the destructive aspects of
modern culture and thought. In order to prevent the triumph of evil, good men must do
something intelligent.
Over seventy years have passed since The Crisis of Civilization was first published, and
the world has both changed dramatically and stayed much the same. With the fall of the
Soviet Union, the shadow of communism has faded considerably, much of the world still
suffers under a communist government, and the cultural impact of communist intellectual
thought still pervades Western culture. The Crisis of Civilization serves as a welcome
antidote to such cultural poisons. For those who believe in a “culture war” in Western
society, Belloc’s book will have a special relevance. For people who are worried about
the current economic “crisis,” Belloc’s theories about how an economy based on grab and
greed will ultimately lead to trouble may seem eerily prescient. In Belloc’s view, both
economically and culturally, we are all our brothers’ keepers, urging his readers to act
with morality and wisdom in all facets of their lives. After painting a vivid picture of an
unjust world in crisis, Belloc wisely concludes by warning that “the crisis is one which
does not permit of infinite delay.”
–Chris Chan