In the modern political lexicon, such a concept as the "New Middle Ages" has already firmly established itself. What does it mean?
The concept of the New Middle Ages has already found its description in the literature. For the first time, N. A. expressed his opinion about this phenomenon. Berdyaev. This major Russian thinker of the 20th century wrote a book in 1923 called The New Middle Ages. In his work, the author indicated the signs of this period, but made a mistake with its onset by almost a century.
At the end of the twentieth century. the concept of the New Middle Ages was further developed. It has become the subject of attention of Western philosophers and historians. The features of the New Middle Ages were quite vividly described by the contemporary postmodernist Umberto Eco.
What are they, signs of this new period? Let's try to understand this issue.
Definition of concept
The New Middle Ages is a concept that some authors use to describe current social life or to create a futuristic scenario involving the return of mankind to variousnorms, technological and social traits, as well as practices characteristic of the period that took place between Antiquity and Modern times (5th-15th centuries).
New Middle Ages, depending on the opinion of a particular author, is evaluated differently. So, some researchers consider this period the decline of civilization, while others consider it to receive new opportunities.
Stages of human development
Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the New Age… By these terms we understand the stages of development that European civilization once went through. At the same time, each era had its own qualitative originality. Despite this, Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the New Age are inextricably linked. After all, each of the subsequent stages has features of continuity with the previous one.
From the Middle Ages to the New Age, mankind has passed through the Renaissance. However, the last of these stages in the development of society already carried all the features of the subsequent period. That is why it is believed that after the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the New Age are almost one period.
Rise of ancient civilizations
Antiquity, the Middle Ages and Modern times are the three great eras. All of them played their significant role in the history of the countries of Western Europe. In order to better understand the concept developed by modern authors, it is necessary to remember the path that mankind has passed from the Middle Ages to the era of the New Age.
So let's start by looking atAntiquity. It includes the history of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece.
The origin of the culture of that time took place in Hellas. The ancient Greeks created a real standard of beauty in various fields, including music and sculpture, literature and architecture. The philosophers Aristotle, Plato, Pythagoras, Socrates Archimedes and Euclid had a huge influence on the development of civilization in this state. The embodiment of the spirit of Ancient Greece was the Olympic Games, which included not only sports, but also religious and theatrical processions. At the end of the fifth century, the state was captured by Philip, the king of Macedonia, and after the collapse of this power, it became one of the provinces of the Roman Empire. By doing this, Greece further enlarged the state, seeking hegemony throughout the Mediterranean.
The ancient Romans did not have their own culture. However, they managed to perceive and transform the Greek. In ancient Rome, the institution of slavery was well developed. That is why there were two antagonistic classes in the country. They were represented by slave owners and slaves. To pacify the uprisings of the latter, as well as to conquer new territories in Ancient Rome, an increasingly important role was assigned to the army, led by leaders.
End of the ancient period
The end of the Roman Empire came simultaneously with its conquest by the Germanic and other tribes. This allowed history in the chain Antiquity - Middle Ages - New Time to move to the next stage. However, this period lasted long enough.
By the beginning of the 2nd-3rd centuries. The Roman Empire occupied large territories. To restore internal order, as well as to protect the borders and conquer new lands, she needed to maintain a huge army, which required colossal funds. To obtain them, the subjects of the empire were obliged to pay taxes. In case of arrears, citizens had to give their property to the treasury.
At the same time, slave labor existed in Rome. He hindered the development of the country. After all, the slaves were not interested in the economy and worked only under duress.
Despite this, huge we alth continued to be preserved and increased in the Empire. Circuses, public buildings and temples were built, holidays and theatrical performances were organized. In Rome and in other large cities, there was a concentration of free people who did not engage in free labor and parasitized at the expense of society. In order to maintain a spirit of obedience among these masses, the government provided them with “bread and circuses.”
The main support of the Roman emperor was the army and officials. All this led to the fact that the military nominated only their own representatives to the throne, who were later overthrown by other similar contenders for power.
The deepening of the crisis occurred in the spiritual life. The people were deprived of civil liberties, because of which there was a moral decline in society.
At the same time, there was a gradual movement to the south and west of the Germanic tribes, which in history are called barbarians. At the end of the 4th, in the 5th and in the first half of the 6th century, the Romanthe empire was conquered by this, as well as other peoples who had previously settled on its territory. The conquerors did not march in a huge army. However, under their blows, the imperial system of government was destroyed. The first Germanic kingdoms began to emerge in the conquered territories.
The arrival of a new era
The Middle Ages is a period that spans more than a thousand years in European history. This is the era when mankind was able to lay many of the foundations of today's world. So, in the Middle Ages there was a development of languages. It is on them that many inhabitants of Europe still speak. In addition, by the end of this era, when the transition from the Middle Ages to the New Age began, many nations finally formed in these territories. And today their way of life, as well as the features of psychology, are not much different from the previous ones. In addition, it was in the Middle Ages that most European states with their parliaments and judicial systems were formed.
Many researchers consider this period to be stagnant. They support their opinion, in particular, by the fact that education, which was universal in ancient Rome, was replaced by illiteracy. It was because of this that fiction disappeared in the Middle Ages. Only monasteries were the guides of literacy, in which the monks kept chronicles with stories about the events that took place around.
In the Middle Ages, they were suspicious of any innovation. In the new ideas, the church, which controlled many aspects of public life, saw only heresy. Apostates were punished very severely. All this led to the fact that changes in spiritual and social life, as well as in technology and science, were insignificant. Europe seemed to be in a thousand-year hibernation.
New time
Changes in the history of Europe came only by the beginning of the 16th century. It was then that the transition of the Middle Ages to the early modern era took place. He was gradual. After all, any period at the end of an era cannot be marked with a specific date.
The transition of the inhabitants of Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and the New Age led in the end to political democracy and the emergence of a market economy, to the adoption of a scientific view of the world, as well as to the industrial, and after that to the scientific and technological revolution.
According to experts, the final transition from the Middle Ages to the New Age in Western Europe should be considered the middle of the 17th century, when the English Revolution took place. How, then, is the period that lasted from the beginning of the 16th century considered until that time? It was a historical gap, called the eve of the next era.
Differences in the features of the Middle Ages and the New Age are noted in the formation of a special type of personality. So, earlier a person was primarily considered as part of a large or small team. It could be an estate or a church, a workshop, a community, etc. With the advent of the New Age, the search for God in oneself became the basis of human existence, communication with which was not at all necessary with the help of the church hierarchy. Thus, people were separated from the collective. Such changes were made possible by the Renaissance. This was the period when the feudal era came to an end, and the formation of early capitalist relations began. At this turning point, a new culture was born, which became unique in its expressiveness.
Today we know the differences that take place in the philosophy of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. New times brought with them humanism. The main content of this ideological basis was the cult of man. He was placed in the center of the universe and had connections with the earthly and Divine worlds. Thus, the philosophy of the Middle Ages and the philosophy of the New Age have significant differences between them.
People who lived during the Renaissance considered Antiquity an ideal historical period, the flowering of art and science, public life and the state. All this was destroyed by the barbarians. And after the Middle Ages, the "golden age" received its second birth. Classical Latin began to be used again, which at one time was replaced by rude dialects. Hence the name of this era - Renaissance.
Differences between the Middle Ages and the New Age are also concluded in the fact that for the first time in history the most respected people who make up the elite of the state did not necessarily have a noble origin. They climbed the social ladder based on the principle of their possession of certain abilities and knowledge.
Thanks to the Renaissance in Central and Western Europe, a social movement began, which went down in history under the name of the Reformation. Under his influence, the churchthe unity of medieval Europe was completely destroyed. Any person could decide for himself what religion he should adhere to in order to save his soul. All this left a certain imprint on the psychology of people. The ideas that were expressed by the reformers literally transformed the whole of Europe. In the end, feudalism finally lost its positions, and bourgeois relations came to replace it.
Having considered the main canons of the philosophy of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the New Age, you can finally understand what is happening in our world today.
Collapse of the Empire
As already mentioned, the Middle Ages in the history of mankind began with the fall of the Roman Empire, after which the barbarians came, who began to destroy the ideals and meanings created by it. If we transfer to today the conclusions of scientists made almost a century ago, then it can be argued that similar processes are taking place in the modern world.
By superpower we mean the United States. Of course, many people think differently, believing that China can be called an empire. However, despite the rapid pace of China's development, most researchers believe that it is too early to do so.
What is the "decay" of the United States? According to analyst Jeffrey O, Nile, several components point to the beginning of such a trend. Among them:
- Crisis phenomena in the world economy originating in the USA. This is both an inflated lending market for the country's population, and a financial funnel in which America's banks first find themselves, and after all the rest.states of the world. And the thing is that the people of the United States are accustomed to living beyond their means. The ancient Romans did the same. They were always sure that they would share the loot from other peoples, with whom they fought bloody warriors. The destruction of the Roman Empire was also due to insufficient cash reserves. The superpower of ancient times was fragmented due to the impossibility of financing its army at the proper level.
- Lack of cohesive society. The reason for the collapse of the United States may be not only an economic factor. Today in American society it is difficult to talk about the presence of any democracy or consolidation before the law. Each of the communities existing in the country is trying to assert its opinion. For example, Muslims speak out about the need to change the laws of the country in order to give Islamic ideologues greater powers.
However, the onset of the New Middle Ages is possible not only because of the collapse of the state institutions of America. This is considered by many authors only as a special case. In our world, there is a destruction of states in general. Moreover, this process is quite global. Henry Kissinger first spoke about him.
Yes, the façade behind which the Empire resides is still intact at present. Any country in the world is still considered an independent arbiter of its own destiny. However, irreversible processes of destruction of statehood are already taking place all over the planet. The philosophy of the New Middle Ages takes place in connection with the advent of new feudal lords. They are global corporationsgradually taking away from the state all its functions. So, if earlier the repressive apparatus was only in the hands of the authorities, today there is nothing surprising in the fact that firms influential in the world market have a hired private army, an analytical and intelligence service, etc.
Any plant or factory that is part of a corporation has the features of the New Middle Ages, as it is a kind of fortress with good security, its own internal regulations and laws. The new feudal lords in the form of corporations fully protect themselves. At the same time, not a single representative of state power is allowed to simply enter the internal territory of a factory or plant.
At their discretion, corporations appoint or remove government officials in weakened countries, promote politicians in Western Europe. In other words, there is a gradual displacement of the state from the niche of real power.
Today, many negative phenomena begin to return to us from the "dark ages". They concern the decentralization of systems of government, the chaotic nature of economic influence, and opposing groups vying for power. States are gradually losing the ability to control local and transnational forces, such as the drug mafia and terrorist networks. At the same time, the degradation of civilized and rational forms of social life begins. This is especially true in third world countries. For example, in Latin America, gangs control vast areas of metropolitan areas. And in the statesAfrica, there are wars between local armies representing the interests of local "feudal lords".
Local centers of power also exist in developed countries. They all defy authority and claim to create their own "mini-states".
Formation of human traits of the Middle Ages
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, as mentioned above, there was an invasion of the barbarians. They destroyed the existing achievements, while forming a new type of person.
In the New Middle Ages, barbarians are represented by two groups. The first of them are those immigrants who came from the south and broke into the Empire (Europe), trampling the foundations of its existence. The Arabs completely reject the laws of the countries that have adopted them. European morals and ideals are alien to them. All their actions contribute to the destruction of the system of values that has developed among the indigenous population. There are no such powerful destructive processes in the USA. However, this country also has its own immigrants. These are the Chinese, Mexicans, as well as representatives of other peoples who continue to live by their own laws.
The processes of the emergence of the New Middle Ages in Russia are also observed. There are also many problems with guest workers here, as well as in connection with the special development of the Caucasus region.
Another category of barbarians are representatives of the “protest generation”. These include informals and hippies, occultists, etc. All of them treat with disdain the ideas of positivism, on which the man of the New Age was brought up.
Let's consider those features that are characteristic of the representatives of the NewMiddle Ages.
Disintegration
A sign of the transition of mankind to the New Middle Ages is the emergence of ghettos in cities and entire neighborhoods in which their own laws are adopted. Social minorities living in such territory oppose integration into the state and urban environment.
Chinatowns in the USA and Muslim ones in Europe can serve as an example of this. This isolation is not only observed among immigrants. It also takes place in the environment represented by the possessing classes. These people seek to move away from the city, surround themselves with their own infrastructure, which is not only independent of the outside world, but which is not subject to state laws. For example, in the USA and France there are many settlements for oligarchs. Information about them is confidential. In addition, these settlements are sometimes not even indicated on the maps of GPS-navigators. The famous Rublevka can be attributed to the settlement of the New Russian Middle Ages.
Neonomads
Some people don't have permanent homes. They move all over the planet and live where they see fit. This category of people is called new or global nomads. As a rule, they are representatives of free professions who are not tied to a particular locality. These are, for example, writers or freelancers. The oligarchs are such free nomads. They have houses and apartments all over the world, and they are also not tied to a specific place. At any moment, an oligarch can board a private jet and go to any part of the world.
Such an institution of neo-nomads also testifies to the withering away of the state. After all, such people do not have a country that they would treat as their own fatherland. They consider themselves the inhabitants of the world and do not bind themselves with any obligations to the state. On the contrary, borders, visas, the need to serve in the army prevent them from living a normal life, limiting their freedom.
Elitism of science
During the classical Middle Ages, the path to knowledge was inaccessible to the layman. So, the peasants were told about the structure of the world at church sermons, and the higher nobility invited monks who were consultants for them. Today, similar processes can be observed.
Science begins to hide from the layman behind the walls of elite universities and specialized towns, which become more and more difficult to get into every year. She becomes the lot of the elect. The layman is presented with only a simplified interpretation of various fields of knowledge.
Authority
After a person leaves logical and scientific thinking, he develops fanaticism and boundless faith in a certain person.
Neo-pagans are typical representatives of people with medieval behavior. They will never acknowledge their authorship and will claim that everything they say has already been said in antiquity. In particular, neo-pagans present their knowledge as having existed long before Christianity. In doing so, they look to the authority of their ancestors.
A similar phenomenon can be observed in politics. There is also an appe alto authority. Political youth groups are not engaged in the development of new concepts. Their main task lies in the selection of already existing authorities and reference to them. Such groups include Stalinists and Leninists, liberals, etc.
Fanaticism
This feature is also characteristic of the man of the New Middle Ages. Thus, the neo-pagans appeal to the authority of their ancestors, the Stalinists refer to the authority of Stalin, and so on. Moreover, all this is so sacred for them that there is no doubt. Anyone who disagrees with their opinion is ostracized and scorned. And this is a favorite thing of a man of the Middle Ages. He seeks to insult his opponent as painfully and strongly as possible using social networks. At the same time, counterarguments are not even needed for him.
Uncertainty
According to Umberto Eco, this term is the keyword of the Middle Ages. A person during this period experienced constant fear. The current media also contribute to this, telling us about the end of the world, the constant threat of an ecological catastrophe, nuclear war, the collapse of the market and the economy, the spread of a deadly virus, etc.
The Muslim barbarians of Europe are also joining here. They spread fear and insecurity among the people through looting, rape and fighting. This is also facilitated by the actions of the global Muslim terrorist movement.
The people of the New Middle Ages are deprived of security. In them, in addition to mass fears, there lives a belief in the conspiracies of Freemasons, the Illuminati, reptilians, aliens, etc.
After considering the main features of the NewIn the Middle Ages, a simple layman will certainly have an idea about whether it is possible to prevent the development of this historical process. Of course, yes. However, this will require awareness of what is happening and the application of your own plan for constructing the New World.
