American Crusades
The Recurring Great Awakenings of American Ideology
History moves in waves, and in America, those waves tend to follow a distinctly puritanical rhythm. The U.S. has long been a nation of ideological revivals—periodic surges of moral and political fervor that sweep through the culture, reshaping institutions, demanding total commitment, and then, just as predictably, burning themselves out. These movements take different forms depending on the era, but they share a common DNA: a kind of secularized Protestant Great Awakening, rebranded for modern intellectual elites. In essence, faith without God—a moral crusade driven by righteousness, collectivism, and the belief that history bends toward the movement’s ideals.
The cycle runs every 20 to 30 years. We’ve seen at least four in the last century.
The Red Decade (1920s-30s) – The first wave of the modern era was the rise of actual Communism in America. Leftist intellectuals, artists, and activists gravitated toward Soviet-style collectivism, advocating radical egalitarianism as the path to justice. The movement ran hot for about two decades, influencing academia, Hollywood, and unions, before imploding under the weight of its own excesses and the harsh realities of Stalinism.
The 1960s New Left – A second awakening arrived in the form of the counterculture and the radical New Left. This wasn’t just about civil rights or Vietnam protests; it was an all-encompassing moral revolution that rejected existing social structures wholesale. The movement reached a fever pitch by the early '70s before fragmenting into exhaustion and self-parody.
Political Correctness (Late 80s-Early 90s) – By the late ‘80s, a new wave had emerged, this time in the form of “political correctness.” Fueled by academia and the media, it sought to reshape language, thought, and behavior in the name of inclusivity and equity. It faced backlash by the mid-90s and, for a time, seemed to retreat.
Wokeness & Effective Altruism (2013-2024) – The most recent cycle began around 2013, initially centered on social justice movements but rapidly expanding into a full-scale cultural revolution. Like previous awakenings, it was incubated in elite institutions—universities, media, and Silicon Valley—and enforced with the zeal of religious doctrine. Offshoots like Effective Altruism (EA) emerged, blending the movement’s moral certainty with technocratic ambitions. But by 2024, the wave had begun to crack under the weight of its contradictions, excesses, and corruption.
Each of these movements follows a similar trajectory. They begin as high-minded moral crusades, capturing the hearts of young intellectuals and the cultural elite. The movement then spreads through media, entertainment, and academia, becoming an unquestionable orthodoxy. Dissent is punished. New institutions are built, old ones are purged. But eventually, the fervor leads to overreach. Reality intrudes. Scandals, internal contradictions, and sheer exhaustion take their toll. By the time the movement collapses, its adherents are already looking for the exit, pretending they were never really part of it.
And then? The cycle resets.
But there is a silver lining to all of this: art thrives under adversity.
During these periods of cultural and ideological fervor, the constraints, conflicts, and pressures create the perfect conditions for artistic greatness. The tension between establishment and counterculture, conformity and rebellion, breeds innovation. Some of the most exciting creative work comes from artists responding to these movements—either by working within them, subverting them, or pushing back against them entirely.
Take Kendrick Lamar. Had he arrived a decade earlier, his talent would have been undeniable, but the cultural moment wouldn’t have embraced him the same way. The 2010s, for all their ideological intensity, provided a stage where an artist like Kendrick could thrive, weaving complex narratives of race, power, and personal struggle into mainstream consciousness. The same is true of countless other artists across different waves—whether it was the politically charged jazz of the Red Decade, the radical experimentation of the '60s, or the countercultural energy of '90s hip-hop and grunge.
If history holds, we should expect the next awakening sometime around the mid-to-late 2040s. But what comes in the meantime? The aftermath of these movements tends to bring a period of national revitalization—an era of confidence, creative energy, and rediscovered common sense. The 1950s followed the Red Decade. The Reagan years followed the counterculture. The 2000s followed political correctness. If we’re lucky, we might be heading into another such period now. During these in-between times, the country tends to come together, with a renewed sense of unity and even national pride. I expect to see more American flags outside of homes—not as a symbol of radical nationalism, but as a simple expression of belonging. Think of the early 2000s post-9/11, when we supported our troops, police officers, and firefighters, not out of blind patriotism, but out of a shared understanding that, despite our differences, we were in this together. If the cycle holds, we could be on the cusp of another one of these moments—where America, for a time, rediscovers itself.
And when the next wave does come, it will look different from today’s ideology, but its core will be familiar: a collectivist movement, animated by radical egalitarianism, driven by elites, and destined to burn itself out in spectacular fashion.
Until then, we should enjoy the intermission.