In 1989 Francis Fukuyama publishes The End of History? in The National Interest, arguing that liberal democracy may be the end point of mankind's ideological evolution. The essay is the postmodern moment's great counter-claim, a grand narrative proclaimed in the year of the Wall, and the argument of the next decade is fought on its ground.
Tagged: Postmodernism
The Event
- Date
- 1989 (exact)
- Era
- The Culture Wars; Standard periodization of postmodern history
- Location
- Washington; today Washington, District of Columbia
- Traditions
- Postmodernism
- Streams
- Postmodernism
- Key figures
- Francis Fukuyama
- Key texts
- The End of History?
How the Tradition Tells It
Fukuyama's essay argues against the postmodern temper from liberal ground; it stands here as the moment's great counter-claim, and the record states its stance plainly.
Primary Sources
- Fukuyama, Francis. The End of History? The National Interest, Summer 1989.
Secondary Sources
- Bertens, Hans. The Idea of the Postmodern: A History. London: Routledge, 1995.
- Hassan, Ihab. The Postmodern Turn. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1987.
- Hutcheon, Linda. A Poetics of Postmodernism. New York: Routledge, 1988.
Provenance: HIST-1447; confidence 0.95; accessed 2026-10-30.
Related on This Site
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Deleuze and Guattari's Anti-Oedipus
1972
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Derrida's Of Grammatology
1967
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Derrida's Structure, Sign and Play lecture
1966
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Foucault's Discipline and Punish
1975
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Foucault's The Order of Things
1966
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Hassan's The Dismemberment of Orpheus
1971
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Jencks's The Language of Post-Modern Architecture
1977
World View
Postmodernism
Postmodernism doubts every grand story that claims to explain everything; it treats truth as shaped by language, culture, and power rather than simply discovered.