Neil Howe co-authored the book The Fourth Turning, a book that was hugely influential on the world view of Steve Bannon, Trump’s top advisor. In this fascinating episode, Neil discusses the ideas behind his book, why he thinks history moves in cycles, and what Trump means for the world and its current cycle.

Show Notes

• The idea behind The Fourth Turning
• What a “Turning” is
• Why we are in the Fourth Turning and what is going to happen
• What Neil knows about Steve Bannon
• How the 2008 crisis was the beginning of the Fourth Turning
• What a Great Champion is
• How Trump works into this idea of cyclical history
• Why they decided to write the book
• When Turnings are not deterministic
• Why academic history is less relevant for people today
• What Neil can and can’t predict with his theory

Links

• The Fourth Turning: What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America’s Next Rendezvous with Destiny
• Generation Zero
• The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community
• The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War