Abstract
Europe is facing major changes at the beginning of the 21st century. Many consider the 19th century as savage industrialization's one. Liberalism largely evolved in the 20th century as evidenced by the fantastic pace of growth of welfare state in many countries in the 1960s and the 1970s. Indeed, in the period following the Second World War, providing welfare to citizens became a fundamental feature of western statehood. Immediately after the war, a new social spirit dominated Europe and affected all social classes. This was largely due to the sense of purpose that developed during the war and a revulsion against the irresponsible, decadent and depression-ridden interwar period. Therefore, social expenditures increased rapidly and traditional relief systems that provided assistance only to the most needy of populations were transformed into comprehensive systems of universal benefits through the welfare state. Marshall, writing in the 1950's, was the first to understand this was an inevitable step in the natural progression of states' relations to their citizens.
