--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The vast upheaval of the World War set in…" description: "\"The vast upheaval of the World War set in motion forces that will either destroy civilization or raise mankind to undreamed of heights of human welfare..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33d/arthur-henderson-18738_civilization_the-vast-upheaval-of-the-world-war-set-i_1047913.png" --- # The vast upheaval of the World War set in motion forces… ![“The vast upheaval of the World War set in motion forces that will either destroy civilization or raise mankind to undreamed of heights of human welfare and prosperity.” quote by Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33d/arthur-henderson-18738_civilization_the-vast-upheaval-of-the-world-war-set-i_1047913.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33d/arthur-henderson-18738_civilization_the-vast-upheaval-of-the-world-war-set-i_1047913.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33d/arthur-henderson-18738_civilization_the-vast-upheaval-of-the-world-war-set-i_1047913.png) > “The vast upheaval of the World War set in motion forces that will either destroy civilization or raise mankind to undreamed of heights of human welfare and prosperity.” [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. World War's upheaval could either ruin humanity or elevate it to unprecedented welfare. **In simple terms:** War may destroy or uplift civilization. Key Takeaway Channel crises toward progress. Themes war civilization potential prosperity Mood cautious hopeful Type political philosophical When to use this quote - post‑war reconstruction - global cooperation - technological innovation Key Concepts history politics human development Questions to Reflect On - How can societies harness crisis for good? - What safeguards prevent destruction? A Different Perspective Optimism may ignore immediate suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Prosperity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosperity/) [Upheaval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upheaval/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) [Welfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/) ## Related quotes > [The upheaval of our world and the upheaval of our consciousness are one and the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-upheaval-of-our-world-and-the-upheaval-of-our-consciousness-are/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Religion-freedom-vengeance-what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/religion-freedom-vengeance-what-you-will-a-word-s-enough-to-raise/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [In times of upheaval, people wish for nothing more than composure and sincerity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/in-times-of-upheaval-people-wish-for-nothing-more-than-composure-and/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [Each of us, even the lowliest and most insignificant among us, was uprooted from his innermost existence by the almost constant volcanic upheavals visited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/each-of-us-even-the-lowliest-and-most-insignificant-among-us-was/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [There are many of us thinking of one version of parallel universe theory or another. If it's all a lot of nonsense, then it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/there-are-many-of-us-thinking-of-one-version-of-parallel-universe/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [If Gone With the Wind has a theme it is that of survival. What makes some people come through catastrophes and others, apparently just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/if-gone-with-the-wind-has-a-theme-it-is-that-of-survival-what-makes/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [The line between inner and outer landscapes is breaking down. Earthquakes can result from seismic upheavals within the human mind. The whole random universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/the-line-between-inner-and-outer-landscapes-is-breaking-down/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [Times of upheaval require not just more leadership but more leaders. People at all organizational levels, whether anointed or self-appointed, must be empowered to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalynn-carter/times-of-upheaval-require-not-just-more-leadership-but-more-leaders/) [Rosalynn Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalynn-carter/) > [There is always the risk that a conflagration in the Middle East becomes larger and more dangerous. In this scenario, we discover that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bremmer/there-is-always-the-risk-that-a-conflagration-in-the-middle-east/) [Ian Bremmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bremmer/) > [But tonight I finally made the connection that change always strolled hand in hand with loss, with upheaval, and that I would always feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-tonight-i-finally-made-the-connection-that-change-always-strolled/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There are those who bring chaos and upheaval wherever they go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/there-are-those-who-bring-chaos-and-upheaval-wherever-they-go/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [“The psychopaths are always around. In calm times we study them, but in times of upheaval, they rule over us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-kretschmer/the-psychopaths-are-always-around-in-calm-times-we-study-them-but-in/) Ernst Kretschmer > [Immigration along with nonwhite birthrates will make white people a minority totally vulnerable to the political, social, and economic will of blacks, Mexicans, Puerto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/immigration-along-with-nonwhite-birthrates-will-make-white-people-a/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [ “You \[demagogues\] are like the fishers for eels; in still waters they catch nothing, but if they thoroughly stir up the slime, their fishing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/you-demagogues-are-like-the-fishers-for-eels-in-still-waters-they/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [I hold a beast, an angel, and a madman in me, and my enquiry is as to their working, and my problem is their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/i-hold-a-beast-an-angel-and-a-madman-in-me-and-my-enquiry-is-as-to/) [Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/) ## More by Arthur Henderson > [The nations must be organized internationally and induced to enter into partnership, subordinating in some measure national sovereignty to worldwide institutions and obligations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/the-nations-must-be-organized-internationally-and-induced-to-enter/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [On the contrary, the characteristic element of the present situation is that economic questions have finally and irrevocably invaded the domain of public life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/on-the-contrary-the-characteristic-element-of-the-present-situation/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [Four years of world war, at a cost in human suffering which our minds are mercifully too limited to imagine, led to the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/four-years-of-world-war-at-a-cost-in-human-suffering-which-our-minds/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [But to cut off relations with an aggressor may often invite retaliation by armed action, and this would, in its turn, make necessary some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/but-to-cut-off-relations-with-an-aggressor-may-often-invite/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [In almost every country there are elements of opinion which would welcome such a conclusion because they wish to return to the politics of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/in-almost-every-country-there-are-elements-of-opinion-which-would/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [Thus, the struggle for peace includes the struggle for freedom and justice for the masses of all countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/thus-the-struggle-for-peace-includes-the-struggle-for-freedom-and/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [Another essential to a universal and durable peace is social justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/another-essential-to-a-universal-and-durable-peace-is-social-justice/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [To solve the problem of organizing world peace we must establish world law and order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/to-solve-the-problem-of-organizing-world-peace-we-must-establish/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [The years of the economic depression have been years of political reaction, and that is why the economic crisis has generated a world peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/the-years-of-the-economic-depression-have-been-years-of-political/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [Whatever we do or fail to do will influence the course of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/whatever-we-do-or-fail-to-do-will-influence-the-course-of-history/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [In our modern world of interdependent nations, hardly any state can wage war successfully without raising loans and buying war materials of every kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/in-our-modern-world-of-interdependent-nations-hardly-any-state-can/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [Therefore, let us not despair, but instead, survey the position, consider carefully the action we must take, and then address ourselves to our common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/therefore-let-us-not-despair-but-instead-survey-the-position-consider/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [Perhaps the grimmest aspect of this great paradox is that the very nations that are chiefly responsible for starting and for maintaining the Disarmament…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/perhaps-the-grimmest-aspect-of-this-great-paradox-is-that-the-very/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [The world before 1914 was already a world in which the welfare of each individual nation was inextricably bound up with the prosperity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/the-world-before-1914-was-already-a-world-in-which-the-welfare-of/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [This is our world, and we must make the best of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/this-is-our-world-and-we-must-make-the-best-of-it/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) [Explore all 34 Arthur Henderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) ## More Civilization quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) [Browse all 4,084 Civilization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The vast upheaval of the World War set in motion forces that will either destroy civilization or raise mankind to undreamed of heights of human welfare and prosperity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur Henderson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/the-vast-upheaval-of-the-world-war-set-in-motion-forces-that-will/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Civilization" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/the-vast-upheaval-of-the-world-war-set-in-motion-forces-that-will/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33d/arthur-henderson-18738_civilization_the-vast-upheaval-of-the-world-war-set-i_1047913.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33d/arthur-henderson-18738_civilization_the-vast-upheaval-of-the-world-war-set-i_1047913.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33d/arthur-henderson-18738_civilization_the-vast-upheaval-of-the-world-war-set-i_1047913.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The vast upheaval of the World War set in motion forces that will either destroy civilization or raise…” — Arthur Henderson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Arthur Henderson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The vast upheaval of the World...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/the-vast-upheaval-of-the-world-war-set-in-motion-forces-that-will/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/the-vast-upheaval-of-the-world-war-set-in-motion-forces-that-will/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```