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francis fukuyama and the end of history summary
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Fukuyama's article states that the world is nearing the "end of history". While the phrase "end of history" seems to suggest imminent doom and the end of the world. That is, however, not what he is suggesting. Fukuyama argues that history, or in other words the growth and development of human ideals and philosophies, is reaching its peak. The article delves into the various eras of the past such as the renaissance and explains the strengths and weaknesses of the main ideologies during those eras. He then further explains the growth pattern between those eras which has lead to the current ideology of liberal democracy. He believes that liberal democracy is the best ideology and that it is the final stage in human ideological development. He further suggest that human history should be viewed as a progression or battle of ideologies. With the current trend of universalization of liberal democracy and individualism, both characteristics of Western culture, he argues that Western liberal democracy has become the grand victor. He also asserts that despite the liberal democratic ideology has not completely been realized in the material world, the idea has been accepted and has triumphed over all alternate ideologies.
Fukuyama discusses the work of past philosophers, particularly Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, to explore the idea of history and its past, present and end. Hegel pinpointed the French Revolution as the start of the liberal and democratic system. He commented on how the triumph of the numerous poor to persuade the rich to give them what they want. When this system began to be realized in the world, Hegel argued that with this ideology major issues that characterized changes in history, such as war, would diminish. To pr...
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...ve to get history started once again". This comment suggest that the current idea, liberalism, may just be a phase in Human ideology that happened to spread worldwide. Though he made a compelling argument and posed thought provoking questions that supported his argument, the flaws in his argument, after stringent analysis, contradict his main points.
Works Cited
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Fukuyama, F. (1989). The End of History.The National Interest, Summer. Retrieved February 2, 2014, from http://www.wesjones.com/eoh.htm
GDP Growth (annual %). (2013). The World Bank. Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG/countries?display=graph
World - Death Rate. (2013). Historical Data Graphs per Year. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?v=26&c=xx&l=en
Each author demonstrates the toughness of the spirit, and provide no solution, as history never does. It is up to the individual to decide whether history will repeat itself, or whether or not a scapegoat will be found. However, Griffin, Rodriguez, and Ellison all did their part in providing possible solutions.…for history.
Hakim, Joy. As History of US: An Age of Extremes. New York: Oxford University Press. Print.
When World War I ended, Progressivism ended as well which occurred when much of the world’s problems were being put at rest; thu...
To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another, and do not live alone — to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone:
"The Truth Hurts: Andrew Vachss Takes A Stab At History." Bookslut. N.p., June 2005. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.
The world was hectic in the 20th century. The first plane was flown, World War I took place (1914-1918), communists took over Russia and China (1917), penicillin was discovered (1928), the U.S. stock market crashed (1929), and the DNA’s structure was discovered (. However, on the eastern side of the world, the most notable occurrences were probably Hitler’s rise as chancellor and his launching of the Kristallnacht, the German invasion of Poland, Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor, and the Holocaust. Further east, specifically Japan, its 124th Emperor had just inherited his father’s place, right before entering World War II.
In 1806, nearly two hundred years before Fukuyama’s audacious historical stance, George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel declared the end of history. Hegel bases his claim in that the Napoleonic Code, a preliminary, yet revolutionary replacement of previous feudal laws, was being promulgated and slowly implemented throughout Napoleon’s empire . Hegel believes, however, that the adoption of a particular code or set of standards for a civil society, like the Napoleonic Code or the Constitution of the United States, is stipulated on the rational evolution or progression of peoples towards the realization that they are free or equal. In short, a constitution that guarantees your freedom means nothing to those who do not possess the self-consciousness
History is more than a collection of facts from pastimes, or a one-sided story containing the “right” answer. History contains a narrative; however, this narrative combines historical narratives from different perspectives, in order to create an inclusive history. Unfortunately, this narrative is sometimes hidden by overpowering perspectives, and consequently, prevents other perspectives from being recognized. American history is argued as one of these overpowering perspectives, as it has portrayed history from a white American view point. This argument is not uncommon, nor is it exclusive to the United States. Most of the developed world has and overpowering perspective of history. However, it is important to use the building blocks found in less developed nations to reconstruct history, in order to represent a more inclusive narrative. Dr. Paul Ortiz’s,
The debate regarding whether or not history could be objective has been discussed and interpreted by many historians. The ways we think about history has allowed for the divergence of various perspectives in the world we live in today. In sum, the question discussed in this paper pertains to the extent of which history can be objective. This question has left room for several interpretations in the field of historiography and challenged our experienced in the era of modernity. This paper’s argument went for the subjective side of the argument with evidence for my argumentation from John Gaddis, Friedrich Nietzsche, Postmodernity and Modernity, Living in Modernity, and Heidegger’s Hermeneutics.
Vadney, T.E. (1998), The World since 1945: The Complete History of Global Change from 1945 to the End of the Twentieth Century. 3rd edn. London: Penguin.
In Huxley's novel the World State controls the past by suppressing it, which goes directly against conservative ideas. In the World State the citizens are kept from thinking about the past. The government does it's best to suppress the past and keep citizens from indulging in knowledge about it. All books from early writers like Shakespeare and the Bible were burned and are now illegal. They are taught that "history is bunk," through conditioning. This conditioning along with the society's negative view on leisure time leaves most citizens without time or the intellect to question the past or the present. On the other hand conservative ideals would lead a citizen to believe that we are products of the past and that we should learn from our ancestors. They believe that our ancestors are more knowledgeable than present citizens. Thus, we should follow their ex...
The history of the 20th century can be defined by the biographies of six men: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Vladimir Lenin, Adolf Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, and Josef Stalin. Each of these men had a lasting significant involvement in world affairs. This essay will focus on the significance each individual had on the ideologies of Democracy and Totalitarianism. Four of the six individuals were leaders of a totalitarianistic state, and three of these led a communist country. Also four of the six leaders were in power during the Second World War. The profiles of these six men formed the world that we live in today.
The Modern and Classical strands of liberalism share similar principles – indeed if they did not, it would be wrong to classify them as two strands of the same ideology. It seems the fundamental differences between them rely on the ‘negative’ and ‘positive’ views, which define them and which lead on to the fundamental opposition inherent in liberalism: the role of the state.
Australia GDP Growth Rate | 1959-2015 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast. (n.d.). Retrieved January 27, 2015, from http://www.tradingeconomics.com/australia/gdp-growth
Our preliminary class gave a brief, yet detailed outline of major events affecting the East Asian region. Within that class, prompted by our limited geographical knowledge of Asia, we were given a fundamental explanation of the geographical locations of the various events taking place in the region. In subsequent classes, we were introduced to the major wars, political shifts, and economic interests which shaped Japan, China and Korea to what they are today. We examined the paradigm of pre-modern Japanese governance, the Shogunate, and the trained warriors which defended lord and land, Samurai. In addition, we examined the socio-economic classes of Medieval Japan, which included the Samurai, peasants, craftsmen, and the merchants. We also examined pre-1945 Japan’s policies toward foreign entities, notably the Sakoku Policy, which sought to expunge all foreign presence and commerce in an effort to protect its borders and culture. 1945, however, saw ...