Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present

Fareed Zakaria begins Age of Revolutions by observing how little political strategies have changed since ancient times. In 64 BCE, Cicero’s younger brother advised his sibling to run for office using the following tactics. He stated, “Promise everything to everyone, always be seen in public surrounded by your most passionate supporters, and remind voters of your opponents’ sex scandals” (1). Despite the continuity of such ploys, modern politics is characterized by a polarizing shift between the philosophies of the Right and Left. The author emphasizes that “[o]n the left, [there is] a stronger state with more economic regulation and redistribution” while “on the right, [there is] a freer market with less governmental intervention” (2).

While the Left might be defined as liberal and the Right as conservative, extremists in each camp now have a tendency to promote their cause using identical tactics, in which the end justifies the means. The author asserts that radical change inevitably leads to radical backlash and that conservatives, frightened by the speed of progress, long for an idealized, golden past in which they can feel safe. They also fear the notion of revolution. Ironically, the word “revolution” can apply to the agendas of both the Right and the Left.