Another 20th Century Figure Passes from the Scene

Whatever your opinion of Augusto Pinochet, it must be admitted that the nation of Chile, and perhaps the world, has turned a small historical corner with his passing at the age of 91. As the Economist relates, even those on the political spectrum inclined to agree with Pinochet and to appreciate his policies had come to see the General as something of an anachronism.

This appears to be a new problem of our age. With ever better health care and ever better scientific understanding, lifespans have increased dramatically. This has meant that a large number of world leaders (mostly from the World War II and post War generations) have remained on the scene long after their careers had either formally or effectively ended. Think of Ariel Sharon, Yasir Arafat, Ronald Reagan, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, and these deaths have all been in the past couple years. Fidel Castro is also fading from the scene (with his slightly younger brother Raul waiting in the wings).

Old leaders from a previous era seem to have a habit of hanging around longer than, perhaps, for the good of any. Italian politics is especially noted for its gerontocracy. When one starts playing hisotrical games, however, one begins to wonder if history is slowing down these days, despite all the claims of the world speeding up. One often hears the lament that World War II vets are dying out every day, but who was lamenting the demise of Mexican War veterans in Theodore Roosevelt's years? John Kerry's and George W. Bush's Vietnam records were hotly debated in the 2004 election, but a century ago Civil War veterans had already faded from the Presidency (McKinley was an enlisted man, and the last Civil War officer-turned-President was Benjamin Harrison). Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were children in the 1860's, but where are the Presidential contenders today who were mere children in the 1960's (I know Barack Obama meets these age requirements, but I am wondering where the more heavy hitting statesman of such an age are).

Granted, our lifespans have increased, but has our wait to a mature age also increased? Our lives seem faster these days, and our politics seem influenced by minute-by-minute changes on 24 hour news channels. Yet we still debate the 1960's and Vietnam, and glorify the living veterans of a war that ended almost 2/3 of a century ago. We seem to forget so much of our history, but at the same time it seems like we have trouble letting our history go.

With the passing of Pinochet in Chile, it seems that hopefully everyone in that country can be relieved that more than a little of their history has left them.