The Beginning of History?

Global Winds & Local Waves

Part 5 of 5

A University of Melbourne Edublog assignment

under the Freshman subject "Globalisation"

Passed with High Distinction (H1)

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8 Oct 2010, 9:55 PM by Benjamin L** C.Y. (Last edited: 8 Oct 2010, 9:55 PM)

For my final post, I'd like to make an observation. While I lack the knowledge to argue this fully, the past century has revealed a new trend worthy of closer study.

Fukuyama's (1989) controversial article "The End of History" studies the proliferation of the "Western Idea" - defined as the fundamental principles of capitalism and democracy - across the world. He substantiates his argument by observing historical trends. This retrospective method reveals something else. History has moved on since Fukuyama's writing and I'd like to postulate a new trend: Federalism.

The 20th Century has seen an increase in the number of global crises and institutions created to address them. Some of these institutions are:

League of Nations            1920 – 1935

INTERPOL                       1923 – present

Bretton Woods System    1944 – 1971

IMF                                  1944 – present 

United Nations                 1945 – present

GATT                               1947 – 1995

WTO                                1995 – present

These are truly global because they (1) explicitly make themselves a body for all nations to participate (at least in theory), (2) have an explicit purpose that transcends geopolitical boundaries. Membership in these organisations implies that nations are not completely distinct sovereign states but members of a federal structure, complete with the entailing rights and responsibilities. In my opinion, this willingness to subsume themselves under a greater structure is a response to the new challenges of this age that undeniably require collective, coordinated multilateral action. Some major examples of these events are:

WWI                                       1914 – 1918

The Great Depression            1929 – 1940

WWII                                     1940 – 1945        

The Cold War                         1945 – 1991

Asian Financial Crisis            1997 - ?

Global Financial Crisis           2007 - ?

Terrorism                               Concurrent

Global Warming                     Concurrent

Flu Pandemics (e.g. H1N1)      Periodic

These are problems can easily spread across the world but are too great for single nations to resolve and necessarily require international cooperation in some form. As problems like global warming and terrorism do not appear to have ready solutions, I believe that this trend of creating and participating in federal, supranational federal organisations is likely to go on for many years to come. Perhaps this is end of histories as separate nations and the beginning of a new, federal chapter in human history.

Posted in #29 Fri 11am (Alice Hoy 323)

3 responses to: "The Beginning of History?"

Aleisha V** S******* wrote:


Fri, 8 Oct 2010, 10:22 PM



I am so thankful to discover someone with an argument against Fukuyama's theory, no one in my tute was willing to assert anything against it. Federalism is a fantastic example of an ideology with support and momentum, the UN, the EU etc. This multilateral approach through global federalism has possibility for gaining increasng support, as political issues are becoming increasingly global. However, this theory does not undermine liberal democracy, liberal democratic states are members of these global institutions without undermining their current political ideology. I would like to think that in the future we will witness a new global political theory that will allow for ideological upheaval that proliferates across the globe.


Michael C***** wrote: 


Sat, 9 Oct 2010, 1:50 PM


Great post, Ben. And also a great comment, Aleisha. 
I love a grand declaration, so on that level I admire Fukuyama’s thesis. He was framing is his argument with a Cold War audience in mind. The Cold War created an environment in which free thinking was stifled; ironic given that the West was on the side of liberalism, which seeks to defend and promote a diversity of opinion. I think there's no doubt that it has resonated and has been influential, but is increasingly being seen a weak argument. 
I like the way that you’ve provided a response to it.


Benjamin L** C.Y. wrote:


Tue, 12 Oct 2010, 9:27 PM



Thanks Aleisha, thanks Michael! :)
 I was worried it might seem too sketchy to comprehend, glad you guys like it! :)
 Maybe we will see a new ideology that can accommodate the events of our age. Huntington's "Clash of Civilisations" seems to be headed in that direction, although I find that much academic literature is still besotted with alarmist content, most notably 1st-3rd world issues and capitalism-consumer welfare.
 While we bemoan these seemingly endless problems, we must not forget that humanity has made progress in its own right. The post on "Soft Appeal" demonstrates that along with this post on Federalism - neither is perfect, but both are constructive.
 Where is the Love:"What's wrong with the media/ Negative images just to meet criteria" - The media needs to make our progress salient too.