The Age of Great Expectations and the Great Void
History After “the End of History”
History After “the End of History”
The fall of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 abruptly
ended one historical era and inaugurated another. So, too, did the outcome of
last year’s U.S. presidential election. What are we to make of the interval
between those two watershed moments? Answering that question is essential to
understanding how Donald Trump became president and where his ascendency leaves
us.
Hardly had this period commenced before observers fell
into the habit of referring to it as the “post-Cold War” era. Now that it’s
over, a more descriptive name might be in order. My suggestion: America’s Age
of Great Expectations.
