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To extend this image, we might say that before the 1930s Europe and America were each in possession of only half of what was needed to create a modern mass society.

Word:

possession

Question:

Why were Europe and America each considered to possess only half of what was needed to create a modern mass society before the 1930s?

Answer (optional):

Europe and America were each considered to possess only half of what was needed to create a modern mass society before the 1930s because Europe had a social welfare state but remained mired in class struggle, whereas America had a middle-class peace of mind but lacked a system of social support. The crisis of the Great Depression revealed that neither ideology was sufficient to hold society together. In Europe, the persistence of class struggle produced significant social friction, while in the United States, the absence of a welfare state had a similar effect.