Analysis: Fukuyama's 'The End of History' - Political Science

This report summarizes Francis Fukuyama's influential article, 'The End of History,' which discusses the transformation of global political discourse. Fukuyama argues that the ideologies that threatened liberalism, such as fascism and Marxist-Leninist doctrine, were no longer viable by the late 20th century. He highlights the shift towards democratic capitalist reforms in the Soviet Union and China, examining the role of nationalism and religious fundamentalism in this global ideological shift. The article references the philosophical ideas of Marx, Hegel, and Kojeve, exploring the concept of history's end and the triumph of democracy. The report also touches on the limitations of this perspective, recognizing that while communism may have been replaced by marketization, some communist ideologies may still exist in certain places. The report provides a detailed analysis of Fukuyama's core arguments and their implications for understanding contemporary political dynamics.

Running head: SUMMARY OF THE END OF HISTORY BY FRANCIS FUKUYAMA
SUMMARY OF THE END OF HISTORY BY FRANCIS FUKUYAMA
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SUMMARY OF THE END OF HISTORY BY FRANCIS FUKUYAMA
The article The End of History by Francis Fukuyama talks about the shift in the global
political discourse and outlook of the people. In this article, Fukuyama says that fascism and
Marxist-Leninist doctrine that had caused problems for liberalism were no longer present during
the last decades of the 20th century (Fukuyama, 1989). He states that China and the Soviet Union,
the two most close to communism were busy introducing democratic capitalist changes within
their government. The author also explains the meaning of the end of history stating that it
originated from the thoughts of the communist thinker Karl Marx. Marx believed that the day
when the communist utopia will be achieved, the world would witness the end of history.
The author also includes the ideas of the German philosophical thinker George Wilhelm
Friedrich Hegel about history. He also mentions the works of Kojeve, who very competently
translated the works of Hegel into English so that Americans could also understand. From Hegel,
the author moved on to Max Weber and explained his idea about the end of history. While Marx
and Hegel supported communism, Weber encouraged capitalism. The author states that Kojeve’s
version of Hegel and the statement that history ended in 1806 with the French and American
Revolution is problematic. He gives examples of the revolutions and movements that took place
after 1806 including the German fascism and the eastern country movements (Fukuyama, 1989)..
History could not reach its end as easily as the author states. The article in the end the
momentary stay of Marxism-Leninism from China to the Soviet Union would lead to its death
and the end of history for communism because no one will then talk about the dominance of
communism in the world as democracy replaced it. The author states that the communism’s
replacement by ‘commom marketization’ of the international relations will also completely
replace communism (Fukuyama, 1989). Although some forms of communism will be left still in

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SUMMARY OF THE END OF HISTORY BY FRANCIS FUKUYAMA
places like Pyongyang, Managua, Massachusetts and Cambridge, it could no longer be called as
an ideology of an entire state.

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SUMMARY OF THE END OF HISTORY BY FRANCIS FUKUYAMA
Reference:
Fukuyama, F. (1989). The end of history?. The national interest, (16), 3-18.