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Observing the birth of 1960s progressivism DN noted that it was not based on a philosophy, but exclusively on a vision of European history in which "Fascism" was the culmination of centuries of irrationalism, authoritarianism, jingoism etc..
Being the synthesis and fulfillment of EVERYTHING wrong in modern European history, Fascism was thus elevated from being one contingent historical evil to the rank of absolute, ultimate evil. This had two consequences:
a) the necessity to break radically with the past, since even its apparently positive achievements were tainted by the association with proto-Fascism
b) the expectation that the elimination of Fascism would coincide with the radical liberation from evil in the political sphere.
b) the expectation that the elimination of Fascism would coincide with the radical liberation from evil in the political sphere.
DN called this phenomenon "negative millennialism."
He said it is only cured by "genuine historical awareness" to counter a "demonological version of history" which produces a deeply alienated and uprooted generation of politically super-manipulable young people.
He said it is only cured by "genuine historical awareness" to counter a "demonological version of history" which produces a deeply alienated and uprooted generation of politically super-manipulable young people.
This sounds like an American version of negative millennialism:
