American democracy is on the precipice. As political violence rocks our streets and economic misery afflicts our homes, our national media discusses the threat of a new civil war—something unthinkable just a few years ago. The bad news is that the current pandemic and its economic fallout will only make partisan tensions worse. The good news is that there are still ways we can heal our divides and restore faith in American democracy. Dozens of republics in history experienced the problems we now face—polarization, demagoguery, political violence, and rising inequality. Unlike them, we have enough historical data to know which solutions work and which do not. The question is, will we heed the lessons of history?
The Anacyclosis Institute is the only organization in America dedicated to studying history for the sake of understanding the crises we face and the solutions available to us. Unlike other think tanks, the Anacyclosis Institute does not seek the ear of powerful politicians and policymakers. We believe that the best way to safeguard the future of our democracy is to empower our citizenry directly with civic wisdom. We think Americans should know that polarization has happened to countless republics before our own, that the Founders foresaw the debilitating factionalism that we are experiencing now, and that defeating “the other party” will only make things worse. Furthermore, Americans should know what is likely to befall our country if we do not implement historically-informed solutions to heal our divisions.
We need your help to bring this historical knowledge to the people. Your donation will go directly into our next big project of creating a series of free educational videos on the history of republics and ways that earlier republics dealt with extreme polarization. Donations will be tax-deductible as permitted by law. The Anacyclosis Institute is a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation.