History Has Begun

Bruno Macaes challenges the common view that the United States, after two centuries of rise and victory in the Cold War, is now in slow decline. He notes that great civilizations have usually lasted far longer, and that American culture stood in Europe's shadow until recently. Following US history from the early republic to the turbulent present, Macaes argues that the country is finally forging its own path, visible in current debates over guns, religion, foreign policy and the meaning of Trump. His thesis is that America may be moving to a new model, as strong as the old one but no longer liberal. He also asks whether the coronavirus pandemic could open the way to a different society.

Marc Andreessen described it as a look at what American society and culture are evolving into, which he saw as something very different rather than necessarily a decline.