“Revolution has its own chronology system, where months are decades and years are centuries.” This statement made by Trotsky in his assessment of the 1905 Russian Revolution, which was a general rehearsal of the Soviet revolution in October 1917. Durkheim, and many others after him, have shown that time – like space – is a social construct, and revolutions give it a tremendous acceleration. But they are not the only ones.
In a little over a year in power, Donald Trump has implemented protectionist measures at a level not seen since the 1930s, further marginalizing the World Trade Organization. He has engaged in a series of illegal wars without the UN speaking out, revealing the mix of powerlessness and consent that characterizes the “international community.” He has led his country down an authoritarian path in line with his presidential project to “eliminate Marxist indoctrination and programs that include race-critical theories that are not consensual” and “eliminate recently established centers dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Finally, his administration promotes a shareholder International where Netanyahu and Putin constitute the main armed branches.
Trump’s rise from chaos
In a dozen months, Trump has given a boost to history; it is tempting to see him as the architect of the chaos in the world. This explanation is simple and attractive, adopted by mainstream media. In this view, great men “make” history. It roams like a gallery in a museum, observing portraits of those who have “made” France from Vercingetorix to de Gaulle, passing through Louis XIV, Napoleon (but neither Gobineau, the world’s inventor of racial inequality theories, nor Petain). The peoples are absent since those who produce wealth through their work disappear in the same movement that makes the working class invisible in dominant thought.
This approach, which mythifies great figures, is fallacious. In reality, it is not because Trump is President of the United States that global
