Eugen Weber

All ages are marked by perils, lawlessness, social disorders and upheavals, breakdown of morality and family, perils [sic], turbulence and troubles that can serve as signs and stimulate expectations. They are portents; and there are always portents, always apocalyptic apprehensions, always fears and hopes to suggest millennial themes. Joining pessimism and optimism together, the millenarian message is infinitely adaptable to the circumstances at every age.