Mass society theorists believe individuals felt vulnerable due to all events except:

Mass society theorists argue that individuals in modern societies experience feelings of vulnerability and alienation due to various significant historical events. These theorists explore how large-scale societal changes can lead to individual disempowerment and emotional distress.

The civil war, particularly in the context of the United States, represents a complex societal shift that involved widespread conflict and division. However, it is typically framed as a formative event of the nation rather than an instance of vulnerability brought on by the mass societal conditions that theorists focus on. Events such as The Great Depression, the rise of totalitarian regimes, and World War II are characterized by widespread social and economic upheaval, perpetration of violence, and a crisis of governance, leading to a pervasive sense of insecurity among individuals.

These events reflect external pressures that can intensify feelings of isolation and vulnerability in the mass society context, contrasting with the civil war, which, while devastating, was more about internal conflict and the emergence of a unified national identity post-war rather than a source of vulnerability induced by mass societal forces.