By Silvio Laccetti
Tribune News Service
In recent years, we’ve heard a multitude of political and social action groups claim they’re “on the right side of history.”
President Barack Obama, for example, has often used this phrase in explaining his policies.
With Donald Trump set to enter the White House in the new year, we must wonder if he’ll make similar claims. We also must ask where the nontraditional politician fits in the grand flow of history.
Many of the civilizations that have graced our earth saw history ending in apocalypse. But following the American and French revolutions, some folks, consumed in their intellectual powers, saw history heading in a different direction, toward the creation of a better world.
Chief among them was Georg Hegel, a noted German philosopher who died in 1831. For him, history was moved through conflicts of opposing positions. In his view, each conflict resolution brought forth a new stability, which in turn brought new conflicts until, step by step, the final state of history — a conflict-free, spiritually evolved society — could be reached.
In this worldview, being on the right side of history means helping to achieve that state of perfection.
Later, Karl Marx, an admirer of Hegel’s work, contended that conflict and change were propelled by material forces. For him, the end of history was the communist society.
Today, the progressive left believes its program is on the right side of history and that all the others should be relegated to the dustbin of useless agendas. These progressives have been relentless and, upon winning political victories, have continued to expand their platform, step by step.
Soon-to-be inaugurated Trump, however, will likely throw a huge monkey wrench into the gears of their plan.
Make no mistake, Trump represents historical forces of a different sort, whose origins and dynamics have been around since, well, the beginning of history.
For more than 7,000 years, humanity has been ruled — with precious few exceptions — by an alliance of secular and religious powers: kings and priests. (Think of ancient Egypt, the ancient Near East, the Aztecs and Incas, or Louis XIV of France.) When the two factions have conflicted, we’ve had true church-state clashes. Today, such battles are often seen in less-consequential squabbles like those over public Christmas trees and where they can be placed and called.
In our world, the political power of kings and priests is more or less gone. So what took their place?
The royal powers to command and accomplish wound up in the hands of big businesses, bankers, corporate elites and their lobbyist minions. Priestly powers — such as promoting spirit-lifting ideologies and codes of conduct, justifying government, and spreading a gospel of economic opportunity — were seized by politicians.
And voila! A new cozy alliance was formed.
Trump, in taking his own path, has successfully combined elements of both royal and priestly functions in his persona.
As a multibillionaire, he will, upon taking his oath of office, become the richest president in our history — by far. He didn’t, however, let big business run his campaign and therefore isn’t beholden to its interests. He also broke with politicians in his Republican Party, warring with them throughout the campaign’s various stages.
Trump towers over the old system, and we should expect a lot of surprises from this American original.
That said, I do suspect we’ll have more Trump-like, colossal figures in our nation’s future.
Relatively young multibillionaire tycoons, spawned by the computer age, seem hot to trot their social idealism and push history toward what they see as its final stage. And they are flush with the cash, foundations and entourages to try it. When will one run for president?
As for Trump, he’s a proven businessman who articulates a strong vision for America. Combining executive power and effective messaging, he can override politicians when necessary but still has the supreme advantage of a Republican-controlled Congress. In short, he will have the power to get things done.
Moreover, he is highly adept at skillfully manipulating all the electoral tools of power in the electronic age, particularly social media, which he is apt to use in the predawn hours, garnering constant media attention.
All of this leaves little doubt Trump will be very powerful, even more than the media predicts at this time.
Which bring us back to our original question: Where is history heading?
For now, it’s going wherever Trump takes it.
Silvio Laccetti is a retired professor of history at Stevens Institute of Technology. Readers may send him email at slaccett@stevens.edu.
