Sentence:  The mad certitude of the ogre, Abel Tiffauges, that he stands at the <WSD>crux</WSD> of history and that he will be able to raise Prussia "to a higher power" (p. 180), contrasts sharply with the anxiety and doubt attendant upon most modern literary dreams. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The critical or transitional moment or issue, a turning point.