In world history terms, I can imagine a massive contrast is going to be made by future historians between what people imagined the 20th century would be like, and the bloody, apocalyptic reality it turned into.
It will be seen as one of the great tragedies of history. People at the turn of the century, full of all of the optimism of the Belle Époque, imagined a future of unparalleled prosperity and world harmony, where technology would herald abundance, would eliminate poverty, and through interconnection, would bring the nations of the world together. The result was a century that saw two world wars, widespread genocide, nuclear devastation, economic turmoil, Fascism, Stalinism, the horrific collapse of China, brutal civil wars in India and Brazil, the chaos of decolonisation (I can imagine the war in South Africa being lumped into this period) and finally the apocalyptic religious fanaticism of the Christian States of America.
The chief lesson from the period, I imagine, would be to never take anything for granted. People in OTL still question how a nation like Germany could have gone down the horrific path of Nazism. This sort of confusion would increase exponentially in TTL, certainly I think with regard to the collapse of the United States. For decades, if not centuries to come, people will struggle to understand how a nation that basically conceived of the idea of checks and balances, that prided itself as a haven for political refugees, that saw itself as the global arsenal of democracy and which fought a global war against authoritarianism only decades beforehand, was able to succumb to the very thing that it was set up to oppose. Above all, historians might point to the fact that long-cherished concepts like "liberty", "freedom" and "democracy" were bandied about and trivialised by political authoritarians until they had become worthless buzzwords, and before Americans could realise it, their political system had failed, their constitution had been torn to shreds, and the country collapsed. Certainly a keen awareness of the political system, of the duties of citizenship, and of civic responsibility will become absolutely paramount to education in the future, if anything like catastrophe of the 20th century is to be avoided.
Following on from this (and I think it has been mentioned before on this thread), the second lesson from this entire period would probably be the dangers of zealotry, of any kind. Any ideology, taken to its radical conclusion, will be seen as potentially lethal. As a result, historians might end up calling the entire century "the Age of Fanaticism" or "the Age of Ideology", hopefully, in the minds of historians, that a future world order will be built around consensus and reflection.
I think the fate of America ITTL is especially horrific. By the end of the 1960s, American had the highest standard of living, passed laws protecting the rights of minorities and woman, expanded the rights of the accused, and gone to the moon. Within two decades, America first becomes a police state with the worst excesses of robber baron capitalism. Then it starts killing its wounded soldiers. And then upon the ruins of that corporatist state arises a brutal, totalitarian theocracy that starts a medieval crusade using advanced weaponry.
America went from an age of progressivism to an age of reaction in a very short amount of time. The very man who voted for the Civil Rights Act, Donald Rumsfeld, would be the man who would destroy civil liberties just 17 years later.
Well, I imagine there will be essays and essays that try to understand how the late 20th century got so horrible, how this country go so terrible, etc.
Well, there are two answers I can provide.
In 1958, Aldous Huxley gave a brilliant interview with Mike Wallace about what he feels will be the dictatorship of the future. ITTL, it might be even more prescient then ever.
In this video, Huxley talks about what he feels could bring about totalitarianism: tumult and social unrest brought by resource shortages, growing authoritarianism to deal with this unrest, followed by dictators who use technology to "bypass the rational side of man and appeal to his subconscious", and the copious use of mind altering drugs.
ITTL, America has faced a particularly harsh recession caused by oil shortages, followed by a massive crime and terrorist wave.
ITTL, America has seen the expansion of police powers and mass incarceration to deal with this crime wave.
ITTL, America has seen the growth of two highly reactionary political regimes, who used dog whistles and exploited people's fears and prejudices to gain power, with the help of an increasingly mighty television network that broadcasted this stuff over the airwaves.
ITTL, America has seen a rapid drug epidemic, and the use of drugs on political dissidents.
The other answer is that in many of these societies, especially in America, the groundwork for their descent in madness was built on the very flaws in their society.
America may talk about being a "free society", but at the core of American society is also racism, religious fanaticism paranoia, and the support of the needs of the individual over the collective good of society as a whole. The toxic attributes already existed. It just took the wrong kind of people to bring them to the surface.
This also combined with the technological advances of the 20th century, gave an apparatus for these evils to be unleash on a level unprecedented in history.
I sent a PM to Drew on this but I wanted to pose this question on this thread given it is still active.
What happened to the evangelical movement to turn it into something so vicious? The CV is Nazism 2.0. As an evangelical I can tell you that the Falwell, the Robertson, and the LaHaye of our TL would absolutely reject this version of fascism. They sought change yes, but having for a time been part of LU (then LBC) and of Falwell's church I can tell you the late Dr. Falwell would be horrified at this travesty.
What happened?
Also, what do some of you think the future of the evangelical church/movement will be following the inevitable fall of CV? Will religious freedom still exist in the U.S.?
Well, he's my simple response to this.
I am not criticizing people who are evangelical, but many modern day religious figures often prioritize religious values over other more serious needs.
The very people who scream about abortion threatening their children were pretty silent when the children of Flint were poisoned with contaminated water.
In other words, many, many religious figures are often selfish, self-centered, and heartless people.
Robertson, for example, is a man who used his connections to avoid real military service, and he also enjoys business deals with the likes of Mobutu Sese Seko, while preaching chastity and shit to other people. As I was helping Drew write this, I figure
Evangelical figures given the reigns of unlimited power would be incredibly dangerous, because they prioritize their beliefs over any actual common good.
And what do you mean when you talk about religious freedom? I don't think religion will have the esteem in once held? Religion will be defended, but I can imagine it being booted from the public sphere for a long time.
