Grim History

Historically, we can make fundamental social/political changes!
For forty historic centuries we have mainly had kings, nobility,
slaves and thousands of wars.
Socrates’ Athens and the Roman Republic are the best historical
examples of limited democracy — voting was limited and
slavery a norm for both.
Both replaced by the rule of kings for 1800 years.
There are a few other examples of limited republican rule,
but kings, serfs, slavery, castes and warring ruled in the world.
Only since 1800 with the American and French Revolutions has
the idea of democracy slowly spread around the world.
Based on the jazzy idea that all men are created almost equal.
Women? 150 years later.
Most slavery and serfdom was formally ended by 1900.
Kings, emperors and classes were still powerful before WWI.
My parents were in their teens in1920 as the age of kings and
nobility started to end, before the onslaught of the ideas of
democracy, socialism, communism and capitalism.
Now kings are usually figureheads with little real power, but
one-man-rule lives on in dictators and Presidents-for-life.
Many scholar types argue that only 40 % of the 193 nations might
be called democratic.
So making war might also be slowly, slowly set aside as too
dumb and becoming too nukie dangerous.
Historically we do make grand changes!
The League of Nations, the United Nations are weak fore-runners
of a truly elected, powerful world government to end wars
and handle world problems like climate change, pollution, etc.
Sadly — if history is a guide — it may take decades and the cruel
death of tens of millions before we demand a world government
and a non-violent corps of peace warriors.
Are we still such slow, slow learners? That may be up to you!

© by Bob Neumann on 10/26/19