The Rite of Spring is a work of modern ballet. But how does a ballet relate to World War I? Why is this ballet considered to be the birth of the modern age? By chronicling the events from the 1913 premiere of the ballet The Rite of Spring to Hitler's death in 1945, this book probes into the causes and effects of World War I from an artistic perspective. It provides an insightful reading of the relationship between social consciousness, cultural dynamics, and World War I. In this book, the author Modris Eksteins examines the lives of ordinary people, literary works, and significant social events of the time, showing how people in particular historical periods established modern ideas and forms of awareness.