History doesn’t repeat because it is almost entirely lies.
Ask any historian.
Humans are incredibly unreliable eyewitnesses, particularly if they’re pumped up after crushing the skulls of their enemies.
All the details about Who Did What to Whom, all the silly names and events we’re forced to memorize in school, are largely irrelevant.
That is, unless you’re trying to convince someone that your culture is the best by telling them a story about all the great things it has achieved.
But I digress.
History only rhymes because it marches to a beat.
So it is only useful when looked at through a wide lens.
It doesn’t matter who shot Franz Ferdinand or even that he was shot at all (sorry Franz).
What matters is that The Superpowers Went to War Over Who Controlled the Energy and Money.
That war lasted from 1914-1945 (with a break in between).
We went from a smoggy world of shillings and steam to a shiny one powered by glistening black gold and green dollars.
This time, it’s no different.
The Players and The Prize are the same, but the Stakes are higher than ever.
So it won’t be over by Christmas.