Why Historians Worry More About Trump Than Economists Do
The first group stresses how small decisions can change the world. The other looks at how larger trends shape decisions.
Two great presidents, or one?
Photographer: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
The dangers of the current political moment in the West — with its polarization, harsh rhetoric and growing hostility toward cosmopolitanism — are evident to historians and economists alike. But which group sees the situation as more grave? I suspect it is historians, and it is worth considering why.
To be sure, some of the disgruntlement of historians stems from their political orientation. Historians are relatively left-wing, so it is no surprise that they are hostile to an “alt-right” shift in the political discourse. During the 2016 campaign, the group Historians Against Trump received widespread publicity.