As millions of people here, and billions across the world, become accustomed to the restrictions being placed upon their lives there is one recurring theme: uncertainty. Uncertainty for some over the survival of loved ones, for others over where the next meal is coming from and how they are going to pay the bills, and for the luckiest of us, uncertainty primarily centres on whether and when normality will be restored. Whilst all effort and energy is going — as it should — into limiting the number of casualties the virus inflicts, some thought must also go into what kind of society and world we want to live in once this period has come to an end. This pandemic now undoubtedly ranks as the defining moment of the 21st century thus far and, as a result, will fundamentally alter the world we live in.
To see how fundamentally global catastrophes can upend countries and societies we need to look no further than the two world wars of the previous century, crises which in many ways curtailed civilian life to a lesser extent than this one. The end of the First World War brought political and societal changes that were unthinkable just a few years previously. The centuries-old absolutist hereditary monarchies of the Ottoman, Russian, German and Austro-Hungarian Empires were shattered and it was liberal democracies and republics, with the exception of Russia, that replaced them. Female suffrage — another concept like democracy that had been regrettably absent for the majority of human history — was also widely implemented in the immediate aftermath of the conflict.
Despite coming so soon afterwards, the Second World War similarly led to the overturning of long-held oppressive structures, even for the victorious nations. The war against Nazism had made British and French imperialism unjustifiable, and the conflict’s end saw the gradual disassembling of their empires which led to a proliferation of self-determining and independent nations across the world. It also transformed the economic landscape. Industrialised countries, inspired by the work of Keynes, adopted interventionist economic policies which provided a level of security and prosperity to the ordinary citizens of those nations hitherto unknown via the introduction of universal healthcare, the welfare state and council housing. It can be seen then that out of these horrible crises individuals, communities and governments were able to build nations and a world that was more prosperous, more egalitarian and more free.
During this current crisis we can already see signs that we are similarly moving in a positive direction. Nationally we are seeing a collectivism and community spirit unseen in most people’s lifetime. As a society concern for the sick, the poor and the elderly is now at the forefront of our minds — and perhaps more critically — is also at the forefront of government policy. Similarly there is new-found respect and appreciation for delivery drivers, shelf-stackers, cleaners and gig-economy workers — those who as recently as February were shamelessly written off by the Home Office as “unskilled” — who are the key workers keeping Britain running.
This collectivist fervour gripping this country is most clearly showcased however by the overwhelming response to the government’s call for a volunteer army to assist those most at risk from the virus. The appeal’s initial target of 250,000 volunteers was obliterated with more than double that number signing up in the first two days; the new target of 750,000 which was set was also swiftly cleared. So great has the response been that applications have had to be stopped so that the NHS is able to process and assign the huge number of volunteers.
It is this spirit that we must nurture, encourage and build on once the virus has been halted. We can unite around this inclusive love of country, based on egalitarianism, civic duty and collective welfare, and use it to disseminate the divisive nationalism we have seen rear its ugly head in this country and so many others in the past few years. It is striking to see how quickly the nativist ‘us vs them’ narrative is abandoned and seems so superfluous when confronted with a real enemy in Covid-19, rather than the imagined ones (migrants, Muslims, the EU) of recent years.
Having said this, we can already see those with a malign view of the world attempting to use the crisis to further their illiberal, reactionary agendas. Donald Trump knowingly stokes ethnic tension and hate crime via his insistence on calling the virus Chinese, the Chinese state are using the crisis as a propaganda tool to champion their brutal authoritarianism, and Viktor Orbán utilises it to quietly snuffle out the last vestiges of democracy in Hungary. The positive consequences of this global, century-defining crisis are thus by no means certain and cannot be taken for granted. Progress is by no means inevitable.
Ultimately this pandemic is a historical juncture, and our country and the world will be changed decisively as a result of it — just as they were changed decisively after the great crises of the last century. There are two directions we can go in. The first direction is one where domestically we see an increased sense of individualism, where a survival of the fittest attitude is ingrained and concern for the vulnerable is jettisoned. This lack of concern for others within society is also replicated on the international stage as nations become increasingly inward-looking and nationalistic. Authoritarianism and isolationism, already on the rise prior to the pandemic, shall become the norm.
However the alternative — which we can already see emerging — is a progressive, collectivist country where the welfare and wealth of the group is more important than that of the individual; a country where the state cares for and protects the most vulnerable. This communitarian disposition can be reflected internationally as countries realise that global problems require global solutions, and that narrow nationalisms exacerbate rather than curtail the problems that we face.
Out of the ashes of Covid-19 a better world is possible. We must ensure that it becomes a reality.
Image: Severin Messenbrink via Wikimedia Commons
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Out of the ashes of Covid-19, we must build a better world
As millions of people here, and billions across the world, become accustomed to the restrictions being placed upon their lives there is one recurring theme: uncertainty. Uncertainty for some over the survival of loved ones, for others over where the next meal is coming from and how they are going to pay the bills, and for the luckiest of us, uncertainty primarily centres on whether and when normality will be restored. Whilst all effort and energy is going — as it should — into limiting the number of casualties the virus inflicts, some thought must also go into what kind of society and world we want to live in once this period has come to an end. This pandemic now undoubtedly ranks as the defining moment of the 21st century thus far and, as a result, will fundamentally alter the world we live in.
To see how fundamentally global catastrophes can upend countries and societies we need to look no further than the two world wars of the previous century, crises which in many ways curtailed civilian life to a lesser extent than this one. The end of the First World War brought political and societal changes that were unthinkable just a few years previously. The centuries-old absolutist hereditary monarchies of the Ottoman, Russian, German and Austro-Hungarian Empires were shattered and it was liberal democracies and republics, with the exception of Russia, that replaced them. Female suffrage — another concept like democracy that had been regrettably absent for the majority of human history — was also widely implemented in the immediate aftermath of the conflict.
Despite coming so soon afterwards, the Second World War similarly led to the overturning of long-held oppressive structures, even for the victorious nations. The war against Nazism had made British and French imperialism unjustifiable, and the conflict’s end saw the gradual disassembling of their empires which led to a proliferation of self-determining and independent nations across the world. It also transformed the economic landscape. Industrialised countries, inspired by the work of Keynes, adopted interventionist economic policies which provided a level of security and prosperity to the ordinary citizens of those nations hitherto unknown via the introduction of universal healthcare, the welfare state and council housing. It can be seen then that out of these horrible crises individuals, communities and governments were able to build nations and a world that was more prosperous, more egalitarian and more free.
During this current crisis we can already see signs that we are similarly moving in a positive direction. Nationally we are seeing a collectivism and community spirit unseen in most people’s lifetime. As a society concern for the sick, the poor and the elderly is now at the forefront of our minds — and perhaps more critically — is also at the forefront of government policy. Similarly there is new-found respect and appreciation for delivery drivers, shelf-stackers, cleaners and gig-economy workers — those who as recently as February were shamelessly written off by the Home Office as “unskilled” — who are the key workers keeping Britain running.
This collectivist fervour gripping this country is most clearly showcased however by the overwhelming response to the government’s call for a volunteer army to assist those most at risk from the virus. The appeal’s initial target of 250,000 volunteers was obliterated with more than double that number signing up in the first two days; the new target of 750,000 which was set was also swiftly cleared. So great has the response been that applications have had to be stopped so that the NHS is able to process and assign the huge number of volunteers.
It is this spirit that we must nurture, encourage and build on once the virus has been halted. We can unite around this inclusive love of country, based on egalitarianism, civic duty and collective welfare, and use it to disseminate the divisive nationalism we have seen rear its ugly head in this country and so many others in the past few years. It is striking to see how quickly the nativist ‘us vs them’ narrative is abandoned and seems so superfluous when confronted with a real enemy in Covid-19, rather than the imagined ones (migrants, Muslims, the EU) of recent years.
Having said this, we can already see those with a malign view of the world attempting to use the crisis to further their illiberal, reactionary agendas. Donald Trump knowingly stokes ethnic tension and hate crime via his insistence on calling the virus Chinese, the Chinese state are using the crisis as a propaganda tool to champion their brutal authoritarianism, and Viktor Orbán utilises it to quietly snuffle out the last vestiges of democracy in Hungary. The positive consequences of this global, century-defining crisis are thus by no means certain and cannot be taken for granted. Progress is by no means inevitable.
Ultimately this pandemic is a historical juncture, and our country and the world will be changed decisively as a result of it — just as they were changed decisively after the great crises of the last century. There are two directions we can go in. The first direction is one where domestically we see an increased sense of individualism, where a survival of the fittest attitude is ingrained and concern for the vulnerable is jettisoned. This lack of concern for others within society is also replicated on the international stage as nations become increasingly inward-looking and nationalistic. Authoritarianism and isolationism, already on the rise prior to the pandemic, shall become the norm.
However the alternative — which we can already see emerging — is a progressive, collectivist country where the welfare and wealth of the group is more important than that of the individual; a country where the state cares for and protects the most vulnerable. This communitarian disposition can be reflected internationally as countries realise that global problems require global solutions, and that narrow nationalisms exacerbate rather than curtail the problems that we face.
Out of the ashes of Covid-19 a better world is possible. We must ensure that it becomes a reality.
Image: Severin Messenbrink via Wikimedia Commons
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