Why is The Waste Land a milestone in western modernist poetry?

Eliot claimed that the title, structure and symbolic meaning of The Waste Land were mostly inspired by the works of two anthropologists, namely, From Sacrifice to Myth by Ms. Wei Stern and Golden Branches by Fraser. Because of obscure and suggestive symbols and too many quotations and allusions, The Waste Land is difficult to understand. Many poems would be almost incomprehensible if the author had not made many comments himself. In this 433-line poem, only the poet himself added 52 notes. Therefore, after The Waste Land was published, it caused a heated debate. Admirers certainly admire it, while opponents criticize it as confusing and obscure. In all fairness, The Waste Land, after careful reading, chewing and pondering, has achieved far more achievements in thought and art than other contemporary poems, which can be called a milestone of western modernist poetry.