New Century, Same Threat To Peace And Prosperity
Why study history?
For seven years, I began my classroom instruction with this very question. Why should we read textbooks about a bunch of dead people, many of whom died hundreds if not thousands of years ago? How does something that happened 500 years ago in Europe impact how we now live our daily lives? Why do we learn about things that happened halfway across the globe? Why should we care about people and places that no longer exist? Why does any of it matter at all?
All valid questions, I tell my students. But the thing I urge them to think about is to think about their own personal histories. Why do they live where they do? Why do their parents have specific jobs? Have their families ever moved? If so, why? Are any students' families from other countries? If so, why did their families move? I tell my students that their own histories are related to larger historical events. I tell them they are a product of the times in which they live. And I tell them that the history we will be learning together impacted each and every one of them, even if that impact might not always be obvious at first.
I started classes this way because we often have that misconception about history. Even as adults, we see history as something distant and irrelevant. The names and dates we studied as students are probably long gone from the short-term memory we maximized for unit exams and end-of-grade tests. We hear terms like "Magna Carta" or "Glorious Revolution" and we have some sense of what they were but more likely than not we need a quick Google search as a refresher. But as we've entered adulthood, we've come to realize that history happens for a reason. We've come to understand that the Iraq War or the War on Terror or 9/11 weren't one-offs; that there were deep, prolonged histories in these regions that manifested themselves on America's doorstep. Understanding these histories helps us not only understand the present but also gives us a sense of what the future might hold.
Today's worldwide events are confounding. We are, as they say, living in interesting times. But these times can be understood if we understand the lens through which this moment has arrived.
The pendulum of history often swings back and forth. What we are witnessing today is a reaction to the post-World War II world alignment. After the second war to end all wars, Japan became a constitutional republic, based largely on the United States' ideals. Germany rebuilt itself and created anti-hate speech laws that outlawed the type of Nazi propaganda that led to Nazism in the country. Italy abolished its monarchy and became a democratic republic. Over 40 years later, the Berlin Wall fell and new democracies began emerging throughout Eastern Europe, much to the chagrin of Mother Russia. By the end of the 20th century democracies were on the rise and authoritarian governments were floundering, barely on life support.
I started classes this way because we often have that misconception about history. Even as adults, we see history as something distant and irrelevant. The names and dates we studied as students are probably long gone from the short-term memory we maximized for unit exams and end-of-grade tests. We hear terms like "Magna Carta" or "Glorious Revolution" and we have some sense of what they were but more likely than not we need a quick Google search as a refresher. But as we've entered adulthood, we've come to realize that history happens for a reason. We've come to understand that the Iraq War or the War on Terror or 9/11 weren't one-offs; that there were deep, prolonged histories in these regions that manifested themselves on America's doorstep. Understanding these histories helps us not only understand the present but also gives us a sense of what the future might hold.
Today's worldwide events are confounding. We are, as they say, living in interesting times. But these times can be understood if we understand the lens through which this moment has arrived.
The pendulum of history often swings back and forth. What we are witnessing today is a reaction to the post-World War II world alignment. After the second war to end all wars, Japan became a constitutional republic, based largely on the United States' ideals. Germany rebuilt itself and created anti-hate speech laws that outlawed the type of Nazi propaganda that led to Nazism in the country. Italy abolished its monarchy and became a democratic republic. Over 40 years later, the Berlin Wall fell and new democracies began emerging throughout Eastern Europe, much to the chagrin of Mother Russia. By the end of the 20th century democracies were on the rise and authoritarian governments were floundering, barely on life support.
But it became time for that pendulum to swing back around.
And swing back around it did. Realizing democracies were winning, worldwide conservative parties began to fight back through a series of acts that slowly but surely undermined the very principles of democracy. Russia, never fully embracing democracy, instead embraced a former KGB agent who is now in his 4th term as president and has reverted the country to its authoritarian roots. The United Kingdom through the failed leadership of Prime Minister David Cameron, fell victim to the country's far-right xenophobic voices and lost its Brexit referendum, greatly weakening the country's economy and creating a space for Conservative Party member Boris Johnson to fill the leadership void during the country's departure from the European Union. France has seen an emerging far-right party led by Marine le Pen who has twice run for president and who continues to be active today. Even Canada, America's neighbor to the north, is seeing a rise of far-right populism, especially in the province of Alberta which has emerged against the leadership of liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. All of these far-right authoritarian movements were created against the longstanding democracies of several of the world's G7 nations.
While it feels dizzying to be experiencing the United States' own authoritarian rise, it is simply part of a broader movement. The world is reacting to the relative peace and prosperity that emerged in the post-World War II era. Here at home, the Republican Party is reacting to changing demographics and to younger generations leaving the party in droves. In many ways, the election of Barack Hussein Obama collectively broke what little decency the GOP had left. Knowing that a biracial man raised by a single mother in Kansas can go on to receive an Ivy League education and then become a U.S. Senator and then president was simply too much for the Republican Party to handle. Like their counterparts throughout the globe, Republicans turned to authoritarian means and methods. They sought Vladimir Putin's help in 2016 and again in 2020. They continuously seek to undermine public trust in our elections and actively disenfranchise those who tend to vote Democrat. And they use state-level offices to wage war against the "woke agenda" which is essentially the teaching of history as it is meant to be taught.
And swing back around it did. Realizing democracies were winning, worldwide conservative parties began to fight back through a series of acts that slowly but surely undermined the very principles of democracy. Russia, never fully embracing democracy, instead embraced a former KGB agent who is now in his 4th term as president and has reverted the country to its authoritarian roots. The United Kingdom through the failed leadership of Prime Minister David Cameron, fell victim to the country's far-right xenophobic voices and lost its Brexit referendum, greatly weakening the country's economy and creating a space for Conservative Party member Boris Johnson to fill the leadership void during the country's departure from the European Union. France has seen an emerging far-right party led by Marine le Pen who has twice run for president and who continues to be active today. Even Canada, America's neighbor to the north, is seeing a rise of far-right populism, especially in the province of Alberta which has emerged against the leadership of liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. All of these far-right authoritarian movements were created against the longstanding democracies of several of the world's G7 nations.
While it feels dizzying to be experiencing the United States' own authoritarian rise, it is simply part of a broader movement. The world is reacting to the relative peace and prosperity that emerged in the post-World War II era. Here at home, the Republican Party is reacting to changing demographics and to younger generations leaving the party in droves. In many ways, the election of Barack Hussein Obama collectively broke what little decency the GOP had left. Knowing that a biracial man raised by a single mother in Kansas can go on to receive an Ivy League education and then become a U.S. Senator and then president was simply too much for the Republican Party to handle. Like their counterparts throughout the globe, Republicans turned to authoritarian means and methods. They sought Vladimir Putin's help in 2016 and again in 2020. They continuously seek to undermine public trust in our elections and actively disenfranchise those who tend to vote Democrat. And they use state-level offices to wage war against the "woke agenda" which is essentially the teaching of history as it is meant to be taught.
We are living in unprecedented times. But we can survive by knowing our history. This is the first time fascism has landed on American shores. Not by a foreign adversary mind you, but by the Party of Lincoln, a party so decrepit that its founder today would never make it out of a Republican primary for political office at any level. Our media knows but refuses to acknowledge the deep dark rabbit hole the Republican Party has gone down. So it is up to us. To vote. To register young people and people of color to vote. To donate to candidates in winnable and not feel-good races. To use whatever social media you have to highlight Democratic accomplishments, of which there are many. We may not be storming the beaches of Normandy, but history is giving us an opportunity to fight fascism in ways in which our forefathers and mothers never could have imagined.
This is our time. It may not be how we drew it up, but the opportunity is here. We can help swing the pendulum back in the direction of decency and democracy. It won't be easy. There exists 30% of the country that can and will vote for an in-prisoned, twice-impeached, four-time indicted former snake oil salesman from Queens. But the fight is worth it. This is our century's biggest struggle. American authoritarianism is on the rise. It's a brand new chapter in the 245-year history of our country. While the chapter is new, we have a blueprint. We've defeated fascism before. The techniques and tactics were different then but our hearts and spirits remain the same. Like the Greatest Generation, we too, have the ability to overcome fascism.
It's our turn to write America's latest chapter in our history books.
This is our time. It may not be how we drew it up, but the opportunity is here. We can help swing the pendulum back in the direction of decency and democracy. It won't be easy. There exists 30% of the country that can and will vote for an in-prisoned, twice-impeached, four-time indicted former snake oil salesman from Queens. But the fight is worth it. This is our century's biggest struggle. American authoritarianism is on the rise. It's a brand new chapter in the 245-year history of our country. While the chapter is new, we have a blueprint. We've defeated fascism before. The techniques and tactics were different then but our hearts and spirits remain the same. Like the Greatest Generation, we too, have the ability to overcome fascism.
It's our turn to write America's latest chapter in our history books.