As a sort of addendum to the above: some time back,
@Lord Sovereign talked about Sulla and his position towards the establishment. I'll note that when we look at it generationally, the ascent of Marius represents the point where a certain generation just about shuffles off the mortal coil (in our case, the boomers). This means that another generation takes over, or has about taken over, at that stage. Not just on the side of the populist opposition, but also on the side of the establishment. They aren't somehow outside the Overton window, either. As time passes,
both sides are going to be increasingly tolerant -- and later on, outright supportive -- of overtly tyrannical measures.
Not that those aren't employed now, but typically in a more covert manner. The worst offenders are on the side of the establishment (the "panopticon society" is
their hobby-horse, after all) but they are also the ones who talk louly about how important democracy is. They have to hide their dubious desires beneath a veneer of "serving the people". They use that veneer not only to deceive the populace, but also to delude themselves. ("We're protecting democracy, our actions are justified,
really!")
In a few decades, the boomer generation in which that sentiment is strongest will be gone. And in subsequent generations, that tendency will gradually disappear. No more pretty stories to cover up the true motives. Just a fight to the knife. And of course, that's horrible. But at least it's not so damned duplicitous. If it's to be a brutal shit-fight, then we should have the common decency not to pretend that it's anything else.
That's the big reason why the "baby-boomer brigade" tends to suck so much. They're the ones who (as I outlined above) make the brutal clash inevitable, but they're also the ones who sanctimoniously pretend that they're doing it to save democracy. They assign ill motives to all who disagree with them, but they hide their own decidely warped motives deep beneath a layer of hypocricy. Often, they hide the truth even from themselves.
----------------------------
An elaboration upon some notes regarding generational intervals, which I previously discussed with
@Zyobot. Some of this re-states (or, actually, pre-states, since the bulk was written earlier) some of my remarks above.
First of all, we must consider that to some extent, generations are just useful short-hand. The borders are very fuzzy. But let's assume (quite reasonably so) that "generational cohorts" that coalesce around a main cultural identity do exist as meaningful forces.
An observation: every generation tries to define itself as different from the last, but is ultimately quite fundamentally shaped by their parents, to a degree that only becomes clear later.
As a rather dramatic example: the generation of my parents was born after the War and the Holocaust. Never lived through it. But because it the trauma of these events shaped the lives of
their parents, they have "inherited" very strong feelings on that. Those feelings recede with each generation. In my country -- which has excellent education -- over a third of Gen Z schoolkids believes the Holocaust never happened. A
majority simply... doesn't give a fuck. Once the generation of my parents goes extinct, the "Marian revolution" (and attendant fanatical slaughter) becomes possible in part because that's when the collective "Hitler guilt" in the West will have died out. Which means that's when the Overton Window opens on the next round of great bloody carnage.
This is just a fact of history. Neither good nor bad. We don't feel very strongly about Atilla the Hun, after all. I'm pointing out that everything considered "pure evil" will eventually just become "part of history", and therefore "normal".
(The interesting this is that the typical boomer reacts to this development with complete horror, and accuses anyone who observes this trend as being an evil fascist. They are so caught up in their own presentism that they
can't view reality with anything resembling an objective stance.
And that's precisely how they contribute to the problem. If they could set aside their holy terror, they could act logically; embrace moderate reforms to avoid later escalation. But because of their deeply conditioned knee-jerk response to something like MAGA... Well. Let's just say that Obama and Biden have contributed far more to the ascent of the populist Right than Trump ever has, or ever
could.)
Anyway, this is my attempt to explain how generational identity shapes the dominant cultural and political perceptions at a given time, and thereby defines what is "possible" at any given time.
I think each generation (going by current age expectancy), enjoys a large degree of cultural and political supremacy from about 50 years after the start of its "birth bracket" until about 70 years after the end of its "birth bracket". A generation goes functionally extinct about 90 years after the close of its "birth bracket". (Some members survive a bit longer, obviously, but they no longer exert the dominant force over society.)
So, for instance, Baby Boomers are generally assumed to have been born 1946-1964. They gained cultural supremacy in the mid-'90s, which checks out: they were "yuppies" in the '80s, but moved up to serious management positions in the next decade. They'll hold onto power in a lot of places, even after a younger generations starts to supplant them, because the positions of the
most power tend to be reserved for those with seniority. But by the mid-2030s, they'll be out of power for good. By the mid-2050s, they'll be functionally extinct. (Note that in the period they are already out of power, but still alive "in retirement", they still hold considerable
social power.)
We can do this for all generations. It's not super accurate, but it's close enough for an impression. This also shows you the periods of generational power-transition. There's always multiple generations having a major influence. Usually, one the youngest of three really muscles its way in, the eldest of three generations is already about done.
Keeping in mind that they're 'fuzzy-edged', and that the years are only ever an appoximation, I think the generational succession looks about like this:
Boomers: born 1946-1964, reign 1996-2034, extinct 2054.
Gen X: born 1965-1980, reign 2015-2050, extinct 2070.
Millennials: born 1981-1996, reign 2031-2066, extinct 2086.
Gen Z: born 1997-2012, reign 2047-2082, extinct 2102.
Gen Alpha: born 2013-2028, reign 2063-2098, extinct 2118.
Gen Beta: born 2029-2044, reign 2079-2114, extinct 2134
Gen Gamma: born 2045-2060, reign 2095-2130, extinct 2150.
Gen Delta: born 2061-2076, reign 2111-2146, extinct 2166.
Consider that in light of the expected dating(s): "Neo-Marian revolution" c. 2060, "Neo-Caesarian revolution" c. 2090, and "Neo-Augustan triumph" c. 2110-2115.
This tells us that a Neo-Marius could well be a leading figure from Gen Z, who (by virtue of his radical positions) binds a lot of the ascendant (and by then increasingly dissatisfied) Gen Alpha electorate to his cause. (By reasonable expectation, a Neo-Marius figure should be at least in his 40s around 2060. Actual, historical Marius was 70 at the height of his power, but he was an outlier. You might expect this figure to be a bit younger in most cases.) His leading opponents will be the "top dog" Millennials clinging to the highest seats of power even as their generation is beginning to fade away.
A Neo-Caesar, quite similarly, could be a "late-born" member of Gen Beta (born around 2040?), most of whose generational cohort grew up in a world shaped by the anti-(Neo-)Marian / "Sullan" reaction. Like his Marian predecessor(s), he'd win the loyalty of a new "young guard", namely Gen Gamma, who would by then be looking at their dwindling prospects and scream for a radical turning.
A Neo-Augustus would then most probably be a member of that Gen Gamma, and would lead them into a reconciliation and normalisation after the preceding chaos. Gen Delta would be very young during Neo-Caesar's reign, and would welcome Neo-Augustus as their benefactor when he restores stability just as they're looking to get their lives in good order. They'd be the true "consolidating generation" of the Principate, and they'd be the ones singing Neo-Augustus's praises when he dies (leaving them a better world than the preceding generations inherited).
In conclusion: while we (again) focus much of our attention on the prospective events of
this century, I think the real work will be done by "generation Delta" in the
next century. They are the ones who will build new greatness on top of the ruins. And it is, ultimately, for them -- for what they represent -- that good men must live through the turbulent ages. No matter what, there is still a world to inherit, and much good in it. Much that has survived the insanities of every chaos period; and much that, even though forgotten, is soon re-discovered when men regain their senses.