History and time
It is inherently ironic that Fukuyama should have to establish a sense of appreciation for the truth of history, but the past is obscured from direct observation, so time itself cannot be taken for granted. Before writing about the complexities of the present moment, the historian has to explain the unfolding drama of history and the direct effect that the past has on the present moment. This culminates in the discussion of democracy and Communism, and the complexities of geopolitics with the nuclear bomb.
Continuity and causality
The present moment feels unique, but in reality, it is continuous with the past. Because of the cause and effect of warfare, it is completely possible that ongoing conflicts are perpetuated through time. The author takes the complexities of the present political climate across the world all the way back to the French Revolution, showing that even that far in the past, many of the same ideas are still being debated, and even warred over. This is particularly relevant because of the historical importance of Marx's discussion of the French Revolution and Communism.
Different economies
To members of one economy, it might seem unlikely or even impossible that other modes of economy might work, but the author shows that there is a spectrum of tenable economic models, and a spectrum of health and dysfunction in those economies. He notes that within each model there are inherent dangers and risks, and that in any economy, powerful people having too much sway in the government is a continual risk. These different economic modes are historically incompatible, but for reasons that are incredibly complex and not easy or obvious.
The bomb
When the United States revealed the nuclear bomb at the end of WWII, that release from dramatic irony left the whole world rattled and confused. What would happen next? Immediately the threat of nuclear attack transformed the face of the world. As new countries gained the technology to make a nuclear bomb, the whole world became entrenched in a new dramatic irony, the Cold War paranoia when no one knew whether a thermonuclear disaster would happen.
Puppet wars
The End of History discusses the dramatic irony of small wars across the planet in the 20th century. The wars are ironic in the dramatic sense because under the surface of seemingly irrelevant world conflicts, there was secret (and sometimes not so secret) involvement by major world powers. During the Cold War, the petty wars of the planet became puppet wars where democratic and Communist nations competed for power in discrete ways. The connection between economic interests of major world powers and warfare is also ironic and somewhat disturbing.
