David Hazony
Jewish Journal, Apr. 20, 2023
“These two camps have been struggling for power for generations. The names and explicit causes change. The underlying dynamic does not.”
It took the United States of America 74 years to get from its constitutional birth in 1787 to the Civil War in 1861. It took the Soviet Union 74 years to get from revolution in 1917 to dissolution in 1991.
I’m no expert in the rise and fall of empires, but there may be something intuitive here: Nations, especially those founded on an idyllic vision of the future, begin with a generation of founders — charismatic warriors and ideologues. These founders are revered by a second generation — that of the builders, who infuse the vision with power, wealth, and a sense of permanence.
But then comes a third generation, born well after the founding and having come of age just as the last of the founders have left the stage. Yes, they are grateful for the sacrifices of the first two generations. But many are also disillusioned. They are ready to rebel, to correct course, to right the perceived wrongs of the founding. They are out of patience. Their turn has come.
In the third generation, the ship of state sails into a storm so violent, it may not survive.
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