[runnerup]

If anything, what’s “new” would be any widespread-among-the-proletariat expectation that governments aren’t just a mixture of personalities assembled into ad hoc and historical factions feuding to control as much money and power as possible.

I would like to learn more about common views on this. Would my belief above actually be true going back as long as monarchies have existed, until maybe post WW2?

I’d see it as a magical period between WW2 and today where the belief was in fairness and universal rule of law.

[sbarre]

> I’d see it as a magical period between WW2 and today where the belief was in fairness and universal rule of law.

Even this, I would say, was manufactured, and not as widespread of a belief as the "winners write history" camp would have us believe.

It certainly wasn't true, or even thought true, in America (and other western countries too) if you weren't white and Christian.