Designs of destruction: the making of monuments in the twentieth century

The 20th century was the most destructive in human history, but from its vast landscapes of ruins was born a new architectural type: the cultural monument.

In the wake of World War I, an international movement arose which aimed to protect architectural monuments in large numbers, and regardless of style, hoping not only to keep them safe from future conflicts, but also to make them worthy of protection from more quotidian forms of destruction.

This movement was motivated by hopeful idealism as much as by a pragmatic belief in bureaucracy.

An evolving group - including architects, intellectuals, art historians, archaeologists, curators, and lawyers - grew out of the new diplomacy of the League of Nations.