This does not sound like the Europe I lived in for 11 years. You have a typical America-centric view of the Europe that is totally out of touch with reality.

Europe is not a simple place because it has many cultures and a huge population, but it is far from broken. America on the other hand, appears to be an empire in decline.

Also, be wary of defining Europe based on its history. Europe is going through great change. In particular, the younger generation of Europe has a lot more in common across cultures than the previous over-30 generations. And they are every bit as driven to succeed as the folks in Silicon Valley. In fact, I would say that if you look at the whole under 30 age group in America and compare it to the same age group in Europe, you will find a lot more pessimism and self-destructive behaviors among the American group.