Pandemic, Civil unrest, Rise of socialism, Rise of Fascism, Huge increase in Anti- Semitism
As the subject of world history has become less about facts and more about the evils of Western Civilization, due to the perceived sins of our ancestors, I dread the truth of George Santayana’s famous quip, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
From the perspective of the year 2020, things are looking a lot like they did a hundred years ago. Back in 1920 the world had just finished a Great War, and a massive pandemic, estimated to have killed upwards of 100 million people. Considering that the global population in 1920 was approximately 1.8 billion people, the number of deaths caused by the Spanish Flu pandemic represented nearly 5% of the global population.
The 1920s were also a decade that saw explosive economic growth
The 1920s were also a decade that saw explosive economic growth, driven largely by the post-war boom and easy credit. That, plus the Smoot-Hawley Act brought on the Great Depression, which lasted an entire decade and was finally ended due to the stimulative effect of World War Two.
Back then, no one thought very much about global warming. But they did have a massive anti-alcohol lobby that managed to get the Volstead Act passed in Congress prohibiting the sale, distribution and consumption of ‘spirits’ in the United States. The prohibitionists of yore would be today’s climate change protesters.
The 1920s also saw massive social, economic and political disruptions due to the various competing socialist philosophies. Russia was taken over by Bolsheviks, Mensheviks and other radical socialist organizations, who then fought it out to ultimately become the Soviet Union.
Italy was undergoing tectonic political upheavals in the 1920s that resulted in Benito Mussolini becoming that country’s leader under the Fascist Banner. It appears Mussolini founded the Fascist Party because he was kicked out of the Italian Socialist Party for being too far to the left.
There’s not much one can add about the turmoil in Germany during the 1920s, except That it was precipitated by socialists, anarchists and communists fighting among each other. How many people today know the meaning of the official NAZI Party name, National Socialistiche Deutsche Arbeiter Partei (NSDAP).
Translated from the German, it means National Socialist German Workers’ Party. Note the word, ‘Socialist’ in the NSDAP’s official name. The only disagreement Hitler’s socialism had with Stalin’s socialism was in how to run the economy. Everything else was pretty much similar.
Anti-Semitism was a growing force during the 1920s
In Asia, an ambitious imperial power began to flex its military muscle by invading its neighbors and declaring the Pacific and Indian Oceans as vital parts of their empire’s sphere of influence under the so-called Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, then aligned with Germany and Italy against every British and American interest around the globe.
Anti-Semitism was a growing force during the 1920s and ultimately resulted in one of history’s Greatest Genocides.
Not to put too fine a point on this, doesn’t today feel an awful lot like it might have felt 100 years ago?
Consider…
* America’s longest-ever war (18 years!) has just ended in defeat
* The economy has been on steroids with growth in the past three years eclipsing that of the previous five
* Household debt in North America is at the highest levels ever.
* Pandemic? Check!
* Civil unrest? Check!
* Rise of socialism? Check!
* Rise of Fascism? Check
* Huge increase in Anti- Semitism, particularly in Europe? Double check!
When is the last time “Climate Change” was considered the world’s most pressing issue?
Oh, and let’s not forget about that Asian Empire. The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere is currently under new management, but essentially retains its original goals with a much more sophisticated degree of raw power, deception and mendacity.
And when is the last time “Climate Change” was considered the world’s most pressing issue?
The Future?
Given all that we know about the past, what can one think about events starting to play out this decade?
How many deaths, globally, will be attributed to COVID 19? Will this pandemic be as lethal as the Spanish Flu and will there be a second wave of infections lasting into 2022?
There is little doubt that there will be a significant economic downturn. The only question is, ‘how significant?’ Will the coming recession last six or eight months, or will it stretch into a depression, lasting years? And if indeed, a depression is the case, how will the economy be able to recover? Will we need a War to regain overall economic viability?
Numerous countries’ populations are under what amounts to martial law
These are very troubling questions and I am particularly concerned about the direction in which we are heading. Numerous countries’ populations are under what amounts to martial law. Yet few people seem concerned about regulatory overreach. Will this become a permanent state of affairs?
A large part of my pessimism is also based on the fact that the people charged with leading us through troubled times appear to be as clueless as anyone. In an emergency isn’t there a hierarchy of actions predicated on the mitigation of damage? Aren’t the actions taken by authorities based on solid information? It certainly gives credence to William F. Buckley’s preference to entrust governance of the US to the first 400 people in the Boston telephone directory than to the Harvard faculty.
There are a lot of Individuals welcoming the New Normal, even though no one knows what it looks like. If the decade that followed the “Roaring Twenties” is any indication, it will certainly be interesting.
Written by Klaus Rohrich for Canada Free Press, April 16, 2020
