The 1920s and 1930s were bad years for democracy. Mussolini in Italy was a role model for Hitler. Stalin killed millions in Russia and the Ukraine. Franco took over Spain, Salazar came to power in Portugal. Hungary went under. Japan was ruled by a militaristic cabal, and Chaing Kai-shek in China was little better. A good number of Latin American countries were ruled by caudillos.
It was a spreading sickness. Nationalist doctrines infected one country after another. The future was bleak. Then everything got better. By 1990, democratic government was the norm. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, the end of colonial rule in Africa and Asia, and increasing international cooperation, a new world order seemed about to be born.
In the last few years it has all fallen apart. Putin put an end to democracy in Russia. He is envied and copied by Trump. Trump became a role model for rulers in the Philippines, Brazil, Israel, Italy, Hungary, Poland, India, and now Britain. Nationalist and racist parties proliferate and grow stronger.
Americans must share in the blame. Trump rallies are an exercise in crowd manipulation, and the crowd revels in its manipulation. Republican senators and the Supreme Court bend to Trump’s will. In the meantime, the opposition Democrats fracture and snipe at each other, seemingly unaware of the need for a united front.
My students often told me I was too pessimistic. I’m not. I am a realist.
No comments:
Post a Comment