I would be careful of blaming one person for the actions of others. One of the impediments to peace is to hold grudges for things other people have done, especially if these other people did it in a long-past setting. There are cultural ideals and holdovers, but those are fading now, and you must always remember that each person within a culture has their own interpretation.

I've had weirder reasons for drifting away from people, though, so maybe it wasn't just that. You never know.