The return of history: is the West's liberal establishment crumbling?

Justin Trudeau's resignation signals a wider political trend that has upended the liberal consensus

Composite illustration of Justin Trudeau, Joe Biden, Jacinda Ardern, Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron
The poster children of Western liberalism – Justin Trudeau, Joe Biden, Jacinda Ardern, Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron – have all suffered setbacks recently
(Image credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images)

In 1989, American political scientist Francis Fukuyama wrote "perhaps the best-known statement on the then-apparent triumph of liberal democracy", said Ben Ansell on NPR.

In his essay "The End of History?", published as the Berlin Wall fell, Fukuyama argued that the ideologies of the 20th century – fascism, nationalism, communism – had "lost the battle of ideas". Liberal democracy, both economic and political, had triumphed.

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Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.