, Columnist
The Republic Is More Resilient Than You Think
A look at two turning points in American history suggests that predictions of democracy’s demise remain premature.
The view from Washington D.C., 1968.
Photographer: Arnold Sachs/Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images
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In mid-1989, shortly before the collapse of the U.S.S.R., an outgoing RAND Corporation Soviet-watcher named Francis Fukuyama captivated the chattering classes with an essay predicting “The End of History.” Short version: The impending demise of communism made the universal triumph of liberal democracy all but inevitable. To borrow from what Wordsworth said about the French Revolution, that would have indeed been “very heaven.”