subsequent European saeculum, ending around 1950, would then last eighty years—within the normal range. As we observed in Chapter 2, “the long European nineteenth century” (1815 to 1914) may be something of a misnomer: That century was interrupted in the middle by multiple wars of national unification that reset the generational cycle. The timing of these wars, moreover, is significant, because they coincided with the outbreak of similar national convulsions outside of Europe. Thus did the rhythm of the saeculum in Europe begin to synchronize itself with its rhythm in the rest of the world.
