Two of the lines Yeats uses to explain our lost grip on society are as follows: "Turning and turning in the widening gyre / The falcon cannot hear the falconer" (1-2). I think that the gyre represents the world. By 1921 war was no longer limited to states, cities, or single countries. From this point forward, wars would be fought in perspective of the entire world, ever widening. The falcon is perhaps represents technology: new ships, new tactics, new weapons. The technology expands so fast that man cannot control it; hence, not being able to "hear" the falconer (us). The falcon could also bring to mind a concept known as "total war", which is complete annihilation of the enemy. Total war leaves the enemy completely and utterly destroyed. Although history does not like to remind people that this was done, many military units and civilian targets were totally wiped out of existence. The governments, allowing complete destruction of the enemy, lost complete control of those men carrying out their mission. Perhaps those units using the tactics of total war are the falcons and the generals who allowed these tactics to take place are the falconers.
The next few lines emphasize just how tragic the war was to Yeats:.
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;.
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,.
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere.
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; (3-6).
Once the falcons have been released, they cannot be called back. The central structure breaks down and anarchy ensues. Both the Allies and the Axis Powers discharged their troops with the intention of utter victory. Much like the previous wars, bloodshed was rampant. Battles during World War I were fought on a personal level in the trenches and on the battlefield. When artillery ammunition was depleted, bayonets were the weapons of choice. A soldier could look into the eyes of his enemy before taking his life.
