In his book “The End of History and the Last Man” (1992), the political philosopher Francis Fukuyama (1952-) argued that the ideological development in human history had reached its decisive end in a proclaimed victory for political liberalism. It was a statement that received support from the seemingly invincible surge of liberal political thought throughout the world as a result of the downfall of the Soviet bloc. Despite this, the world has since then experienced a volatile development concerning ideological thought. Ethnic violence in former Yugoslavia, islamist movements in the Middle East, European right-wing populism and a revived interest for spiritual and historical matters seem to point to the notion that we are currently witnessing an unquenchable thirst for the concept of identity in a globalised and ever-changing capitalist world. This might also remind us that nothing of this world stands the test of time – even the liberal triumph of the early 90's has proved to be ephemeral in nature in the light of recent global development.
As the Berlin Wall was torn down and seemed to bring the world order of the Cold War to the ash heap of history, Fukuyama proclaimed to some degree triumphantly that history had reached its ending. With the same mannerisms as the German school of history during the 19th century, Mr. Fukuyama agreed to the notion that the liberal style of democracy was the crowning achievement of former causality. His assumption seemed to be correct as the world witnessed the downfall of the Soviet bloc and dissolution of a political game board which had been familiar to everyone for more than four decades; status quo however has the inclination to put up a non-ephemeral façade. The statement quickly became bogged down in an emerging new world.
Almost overnight the rules of engagement changed. The champion of the Communist community vanished and left the world in a disarray of dubious identities. Friend and foe were no longer easy to identify and the iron curtain of sharp ideologies was replaced by limbo. The liberal democracy and capitalist market seemed to join together as the only game in town across Europe, Latin America and Asia, but these pillars were followed by accelerating globalisation and extreme individualisation. Older and familiar structures seemed to decay even faster in the light of Post-modernism. Contrary to Mr. Fukuyama’s beliefs, history experienced a reaction against these tendencies. Concepts such as ethnicity, race, religion, tradition and identity re-emerged from the depths of consciousness or grew in importance and sometimes manifested themselves in sinister and unfortunate ways.
Ethnic violence and genocide struck in places such as Yugoslavia and Rwanda while islamist movements with both peaceful and violent means emerged or achieved influence in Somalia, Afghanistan, Gaza, Lebanon, Chechnya, Egypt and Pakistan, leaving a disoriented liberal West to ponder the significance of this development. Meanwhile in the West, fundamental Christian movements gained ground in the U.S. and neo-fascist and right-wing populist organizations rose to prominence throughout Europe. Could these events be interpreted as the chapter in history where conservative and reactionary values re-appeared after the secularization and profound change of the 20th century?
An ever-changing world has probably led to an increased interest for the lives of our ancestors and our roots. Assumingly positive effects of this possible counter-revolution could be the interest in spiritual matters and the quest for fulfilment in a materialistic world. The recent financial shockwave in 2008 has made us think twice about whether the unsuppressed greed truly is beneficial as predicted by Adam Smith (1723-1790). At the same time genealogical research and television concepts focused on antiques and historical events are more popular than ever. Amidst this trend one could argue that people merely are trying to find answers for basic questions about life and existence, thus following the same inquisitive path of our ancestors. Finding out our role and predict what we are heading for in the future on the basis of historical experience are ancient themes of humanity and fundamental for several classics in literature, from Sumerian Gilgamesh to Tolkien’s (1892-1973) The Lord of the Rings.
It is hard to foresee how current events will unfold or how they will be interpreted in the time to come. Maybe the resurgence of traditions and cultural and religious identities will be considered a brief intermission between the Cold War and its ability to afford the luxury of ideological struggle and an age which will determine whether the efforts in creating a sustainable development have been fruitful or not. What is however certain is the ephemeral character of history. The notion of linear history is not universally shared, but most people can probably agree to the notion that every worldly entity, however much appreciated or powerful, has a beginning and an end. This can be applied to either successful empires or valuable art objects. Even seemingly invincible movements, such as the geopolitical expansion of liberal values of the 1990s, can be stalled in its tracks and become gradually replaced by other currents. Embracing this organic view on history might give us the mean to appreciate the present and prepare ourselves for the inevitability of future change, with all its promises and threats.
Daniel Nykvist
