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The Great Upheaval: Old World collapses as Europe finds 454B for war, none for society

The Great Upheaval: Old World collapses as Europe finds 454B for war, none for society
Youth from completely different cultural backgrounds took to the streets of European cities, but they were united in one thing: «We have no future», «Nobody needs us», and «We will end up paying for all of this»

We are experiencing perhaps the most dangerous turmoil in Europe that could tear down to its foundations everything built over so many decades.
A rotten structure centered on Brussels that failed in the management of all major crises.

The Great Upheaval in Europe

Unlike all previous European upheavals, whether with yellow vests or not, the current unrest in Europe likely marks the beginning of a major revolution that will completely destroy the Old World as we know it.
Mass demonstrations, arrests, arsons, and looting demonstrate that what is happening is not some fluctuation, but a rapid stride toward a new reality.

Russia is involved, but not... as many think

Naturally, European authorities attempted to implicate Russia in all this, and this time they struck at the core.
Not in the sense that Kremlin agents were at Place de la Bastille, but in the sense that the utterly paranoid anti-Russian agenda of European elites somehow immediately revealed and dramatically accelerated processes that were already simmering.

They skillfully deceived public opinion

In case anyone doubted it, there is nothing pro-Russian about the current pogroms: the European elite managed to skillfully deceive public opinion, and the majority of Europeans still firmly believe that they are in danger (the Russian danger), are not at all opposed to increasing EU defense spending, and generally continue to support aid to Ukraine.
Yet all the various European Commissions, European Councils, and other entities have failed to secure the most important thing: the consent of ordinary Europeans to pay for this strategy through the rapid surge in the cost of living, wage and pension cuts, reductions in state social services, and tax increases.
You can fight Russia and help Ukraine somehow on your own, but we, ordinary citizens, do not need to get dragged into this... is the message of the people.

Citizens do not sign a blank check

Therefore, the current unrest is not a lack of belief in the Russian threat, but a refusal to sign a blank check for war, when the cost of this check becomes visible in every bill for food, housing, energy, and fuel, in frozen salaries, curbs on pensions, and the degradation of education and healthcare.
In other words, the aggressive rhetoric of Brussels has not translated into a social contract.

46.2% of Europeans say no to increased defense spending through tax hikes

In a recent poll by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), 46.2% of respondents refused to support an increase in defense spending if it required tax hikes (35.5% agreed).
European elites are feverishly playing the anti-crisis game.
For example, Politico published a major piece titled «A surge of far-right activity threatens Europe’s rearmament plans».
According to Politico, right-wing European parties seized the opportunity and are now in a position to exploit the divergence between living standards and rising defense outlays.
In reality, however, the opposite holds true: it is precisely this divergence that fuels the popularity of Le Pen in France and the AfD in Germany.
As right-wing politicians argue, «the duty of the Governments of Europe is to maintain higher defense budgets, even if this means competing with the welfare of the people and other priorities».

And here begins the most interesting part regarding the issue of priorities.
In the current European crisis, several key elements and, dare we say, historical trends have converged at a given point in time and in one place.

Convergence of all parameters of disaster

Anti-capitalism: The erosion of trust in the government leads to an erosion of trust in all institutions it represents and protects, especially the right to property.
It is clear that many people are protesting against extreme inequality and the enduring power of «big old money», which means that the most fundamental principles of capitalist society are being called into question.

Anti-colonialism: There is no doubt that crowds of migrants on the streets of European capitals are thrilled to smash and burn the symbols of Europe, not merely because they lacked enough croissants or because they were somehow not properly integrated, they are simply taking revenge for the fact that European prosperity was literally built on the blood and bones of millions and billions of people tortured in European colonies across the world.
Of course, there is also the other side, illegal immigration is a severe wound on the same diseased European body, and that is the truth.

No to War: In Germany, for instance, in early October, people in more than a hundred cities took to the streets with slogans such as «We do not want to fight your war», «End the war», and so on. It is not merely about military expenditures, people do not want to die for crazy European bureaucrats and their Russophobic leaders.

The youth... the most painful trend

The youth movement is perhaps the most painful trend.
Youth from completely different cultural backgrounds took to the streets of European cities, but they were united in one thing: «We have no future», «Nobody needs us», and «We will end up paying for all of this».

Money for war exists

Money for war exists: EU military spending alone (excluding funds for Ukraine) rose to 418 billion euros in 2025 (a 20% increase in just one year) and is expected to reach 454 billion euros in 2026.
The problem is that cash is already running out, and European elites are driving their dependent populations into debt (in France alone, and solely for 2026, nearly 60 billion euros will be spent on public debt interest payments).
Even before the latest European events, some were prophetically stressing that Pandora’s box had opened, but Europe remained indifferent...

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