I think such a question can only be posed from a mindset that forgets how living conditions were a mere 100 years ago for almost all people. They had to work relentlessly, for very little money, were glad to have one day off a week, had next to no freedom at all, were really glad if they could feed themselves and their families.
For a normal worker, the thought about a centrally heated flat with a TV set, a car in front of the door, a garage, good schools for the kids, rugs and a decent furniture would have sounded like phantasialand!
And the idealistic thought that people had a better heart in these times, were kinder and more real is all nice and good, but I doubt that it was so, or the living conditions would have been a lot better for everyone.
I would say, our world gets better by the day. Its just human nature which stays the same critical mind as it has always been. Perhaps that is how we are made, in order to evolve always and to make sure that we will never cease to chase the dream about a better world.
This world we live in is so amazingly wonderful, and it really deserves more appreciation from all of us. We just have our focus on all its shortcomings and so we destroy it for ourselves. But luckily enough, this doesn't really interfere with its beauty and wonder.
It depends on what length of timespan we are going to have as mankind. Unless we end up in some cataclysmic event & kill ourselves, we possibly can lead to a better society. However, EXPERIENCE alone won't solve the puzzle since the human species do possess some primitive instincts like aggression, anger, jealousy...These instincts or flaws won't allow us to build a better world as humans.
Thus I believe Evolution needs to play an important role here.
The real answer is probably that the world could improve.
I think that everybody could gett the will to improve that is. I don't think that it is going to happen cause we don't have the resources to improve. There is simply too mutch people on the earth.
Lets face it. If suddenly one billion people or even two billion people would die it would not be bad for the earth. Shure it won't be great.
Even if we made things better. People on earth are only increasing so that would make it worse. Shure if humans don't improve the world will get worse.
And if humans improve we will be at kind of a standstill. Untill the people on earth decrease.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.