THE GUARDIAN
THE GUARDIAN: A sip of Boris Johnson’s cocktail of conservatism, Brexit and coronavirus
The concoction is a Scheidelian shock that could take society in a completely different direction to the one towards which he wants to drive it
01 July 2020 - 15:46
In 2017, historian Walter Scheidel proposed that the “four horsemen” — warfare, revolution, state collapse and pandemics — had been the great levellers in history, reshaping societies by flattening economic inequalities.
His thesis was not new, but his work meticulously argued that such events were necessary conditions for disruptive transformations. Revolutions are not inevitable. A short, sharp shock may change society in the short term, but leave it largely intact...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.