These scholars argue that even in the late nineteenth century, with the government's role in the economy considerably diminished, laissez-faire had not triumphed completely.
The gradual drying of the soil caused by its diminished ability to absorb water results in the further loss of vegetation, so that a cycle of progressive surface deterioration is established.
The monumental death toll shaped contemporary morality and a "live for the moment" approach to life infused Europe during the slaughter, and after the deaths tapered off.