First, let's briefly examine what is meant by “elite culture.” For much of European history, the experience of the wealthy nobility and the experience of the common people have been wildly different. Within the same country, the wealthy (or "elite") might speak different languages or dialects, have different religious beliefs, and likely have completely different cultural experiences than those of lower socioeconomic classes. So, when we talk about “elite culture,” we are talking about the cultural experience of the very wealthy and the nobility. The Courtier was written as a guide for gentlemen in Europe; the book was essentially a handbook for how to be a renaissance nobleman. As the book was directed towards, and deeply entrenched in the customs and practices of, the cultural elite of its time, it makes sense that this book would resonate most heavily with that group.

The Canterbury Tales, for instance, specifically includes characters from all socioeconomic classes, and is not particularly favorable in its treatment of the wealthy. The Inferno, concerned as it is with celestial matters of heaven and hell, might well have appealed to wealthy elites, but since it was not a handbook directed specifically at this particular group, it can safely be assumed to carry less specific resonance with elite culture than The Courtier did.

Rudyard Kipling wrote many famous works of British literature at the turn of the twentieth century. They often centered around the British imperial experience, particularly in India. Although he was widely beloved in his time period and his works continue to be influential to this day, he has often been criticized in the last century for his belief in the "civilizing" missions of British imperialism.

The Great Depression began in the United States, but spread rapidly to Europe and around the world. It wrecked the economies of many European countries and caused widespread suffering and hunger among the working classes of Europe. The institutions of democracy and capitalism were heavily scrutinized across wide swaths of European society, and in many countries they were overthrown to be replaced by fascism, autocracy, or communism. Even in those countries that did not witness revolution, it was eminently possible, as working class or reactionary parties found favor in France, Britain, and elsewhere. The extreme deprivation created by the Great Depression essentially polarized a great deal of political thinking in Europe at the time. Fascism and communism, arguably the two most extreme alternatives to democracy at the opposite end of the political spectrum, both saw a massive rise in cultural and political prominence. While it can be argued that World War I directly contributed to, or at least exacerbated, many of the problems of the Great Depression, it was the financial crisis that directly gave rise to more revolutionary thought in the inter-war period.

Throughout early European history, religious dissent and reformation was much more likely to begin among the educated elite, or members of the clergy, than it was to begin with the common people. The reasons for this are obvious and many. The lives of many European peasants were not materially comfortable, nor stable enough, to allow them time to organize dissent. The main factor, however, was the low rates of literacy common throughout Europe in its early history. Unable to access, or to read, materials of dissent such as leaflets, political tracts, or dissenting religious texts, most people non-nobles were instead focused on subsistence and survival. Also, the common people were far more likely to embrace the use of the vernacular in literature because the common people were already speaking in the vernacular. It is accurate to say that popular culture was passed down orally, in the form of verbal storytelling, because the vast majority of common people could not read until the last couple of centuries.

For most of European history, the vast majority of deaths during wartime came either from disease or from the battlefield; civilians were only ever involved in conflict if the community they lived in was sacked or besieged. This changed in the twentieth century with the advent of “total war.” World War I brought loss of life on an unprecedented scale, and many millions of civilians died, but many millions more soldiers died in the brutal trench fighting of Western Europe, or the rampant destruction of Eastern Europe. In World War II, however, the advent of new technologies (particularly bombers) meant that for the first time in European history, the majority of casualties in a war were civilians. Cities like Dresden in Germany, Stalingrad in Russia, and London in England were bombed mercilessly by the enemy and civilians died by the millions.

Seen as the primary symbol of French extravagance and excess, Marie-Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI, was executed in 1793.

After his father Charles I's execution in 1649, Charles II lived in exile for eleven years as "King" while the Puritan Oliver Cromwell ruled England in a republic as "Lord Protector." Cromwell's stern moralism and harsh rule combined to see most forms of popular entertainment banned in England, including the theater, bear baiting, and even public holidays such as Christmas. Upon Charles' Restoration to the throne in 1660, the theater was brought back, and saw a period of flourishing in comedies, works often known as "Restoration comedy."

Adolf Hitler was by all accounts a weird and intensely dislikeable man: he was paranoid and delusional, racist and sociopathic, and unquestionably sociopathically egomaniacal. How then was he able to assume power in a democratic society (of sorts) and inspire the love and devotion of millions of common people? When trying to answer this question, historians focus on two aspects, one being Hitler’s “dark charisma,” his ability as an orator; the other explanation is contingent on understanding the Germany of Hitler’s time. The German economy was ravaged by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, and the effects of inflation and the Great Depression. This led to years of extreme financial depression, and widespread suffering for working people across Germany. The people blamed democracy, the Weimar Republic, Jewish people and other minorities, and the other major European powers. Hitler played on this anger and aroused the latent power of German nationalism. All of these answers were relevant except the fear of Soviet militarization; if anything, it was the militarization of Germany that inspired fear in the rest of Europe.

William Pitt was Prime Minister of Britain. Napoleon Bonaparte was Emperor of France. The famous Gillray print depicts the two carving up the world for their respective kingdoms.

Father Georgy Gapon was a priest in the Russian Orthodox Church who enjoyed great popularity among the common people. In 1905 he led a march of hundreds of thousands of peasants and workers on the Winter Palace of the Tsar. Troops opened fire, killing many of the protestors, in an event usually called “Bloody Sunday.” Gapon was assassinated a year later in mysterious circumstances.