We are watching the fall of the American Republic before our eyes. Just as the rise of Caesar heralded the end of the Roman Republic, so too is America due for a Caesar of our own.
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Very insightful! How far in advance will “contenders” for our Caesar become apparent? In reflecting on this podcast, I cannot think of anyone, on either side, who has demonstrated strong leadership or charisma to attract followers. If correct, your theory suggests a “younger” person will take this position. For that to happen, it may still take years for them to become prominent. Hopefully, Trump can pull off a “Sulla” move for a while, however, Sulla still required a civil war to restore the Republic.
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I discovered your podcast through Men of the West, and have been going back and catching up on your episodes.
Looking back at the events of January and February 2021, and then listening to this episode knowing what you could not have known, I find myself appreciating the analogy of Trump to Sulla. The idea of Trump “crossing the Rubicon” does not fit, as Trump is not Caesar and with such an understanding, it would have been easy to see that Trump would not follow the actions of Caesar, but of Sulla, who was trying to restore what had been lost: “make Rome great again!”
This being the case, I think your final thoughts on the rise of a Caesar coming from the chaos of the early 21st century are a bit more logical, but if this pattern holds, (you mention Caesar and Napoleon) then the “American Caesar” to rise in the following decades will most likely be one on the left rather than on the right. From my understanding of history, few revolutions push society towards the right but rather to the left, and as such, it seems more likely that as the chaos grows, a strong leader will rise to quell the violence and provide peace, but that leader will most likely come from the left, and even if their actions are seen as being ‘conservative’ in the moment, they will most likely be to the left of where we are today.
Thanks for your work.
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