History

It’s going to be fascinating to see how history will judge Donald Trump’s presidency.  I’ve been watching this documentary called America in Color, looking at American history from the 20's through to the 60's via film that has recently been converted to color.  Early to mid 20th century history is fascinating to me because it is so recent and just about relatable, and unless you were directly affected by any of the key events then you probably didn’t really appreciate the kind of history you were living through.  That’s what makes this current time so interesting – we are clearly living in an era of Trump and Brexit that history scholars will look back on for decades with so much to discuss and analyze.  Is this just a blip, or the start of major changes in world politics and world dynamics?  And in my 40 years, what kind of history have I already lived through?   Clearly the advent of the internet, along with electronic communication and the prevalence of mobile phones, has had an enormous impact on our lives – but is the internet the defining invention of our time?  Certainly we’ve had our fair share of historical events – think Falklands War, 9/11, the first black US president.  But perhaps the internet is the one that has changed our lives the most.  But Trump and Brexit have highlighted massive divisions within our society – economic, generational, regional divides that may never be fully healed -  and in Trump, a new kind of president who is temperamental, petty, elusive and not ashamed to make all kinds of false and misleading statements.  I believe a Game of Thrones quote is “a true history of the world is a history of great conversations in elegant rooms”.  The White House may have elegant rooms, but Donald Trump doesn’t strike me as being able to hold a great conversation, so what will history make of him?