A theory of transnational revolution: universal history according to Eugen Rosenstock-Heussy and its implications

This article builds on the neo-Hegelian theory of European revolutions as developed by Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy. This theory considers the major revolutions, from the era of the Crusades to the Bolshevik Revolution, as part of a single time/space structure. It holds that each revolution provoked the next by implanting so-called `pressure points¿ abroad, while shaping the culture of an era and a particular national character in the country of origin. In the postwar east-west confrontation, this structure supposedly achieved its final shape. The article argues that the finality of this universal history can be transcended if we recognize that social innovations resulting from the earlier of these revolutions paved the way for the emergence and growth of capital. From about 1800, all further revolutions faced an existing universalism of capital, connected to an English-speaking heartland, which constrained their development. With the end of the Cold War, revolutions establishing national/regional identities are no longer trapped in this geopolitical stalemate. Current struggles against globalization may mark the first instalment of such a revolution.