Zweig introduces himself within the context of the historical period in which he came of age, the fall of the Habsburg Empire and World War I. He notes that before the tumultuous events of the beginning of the 20th century, he would not have felt compelled to tell the story of his life. He encourages his readers to view his memoir through the lens of history, and to see in him a representative of his “entire generation.” He establishes the importance of two at-times contradictory ideas within his narrative: the intense period of artistic, technological, and industrial growth that characterized this era, and the tremendous humanitarian backslide that the rise of ideologies such as fascism, National Socialism (Nazism), and bolshevism represented. As haunted as he is by the brutality of World War I, he argues that it is the responsibility of everyone on earth to “bear witness” to its events, both good and bad, and his memoir is an attempt to do so.

Zweig’s term for the period of stability that preceded World War I is the “age of security” (23), and he details the way that, particularly during the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, advancements in the areas of industry, technology, and art combined with the stability and durability of the Austrian state, guaranteed a comfortable standard of living for most citizens, and security for all.