Unbearable Perfection: The Crack That Gave Birth to the 20th Century in the West

The Rathaus in 1885. Photograph Source: Stauda, Johann Evangelista – Public Domain

From the orderly center of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a crack opened in the soul of Europe. From it sprang the most disturbing forms of beauty, thought, and modern music. Also, from its edges, the century gave birth to its monster.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was perhaps one of the most orderly and suffocatingly perfect structures Europe has ever known. Its symmetrical architecture, its meticulous bureaucracy...