Revolutions Are So Circular.

The 'Post-War Consensus' is one of those reassuring, cozy illusions that was designed to foster imaginary legions of loyal subjects, loyal to the pretence that there were governments of wise men always ready to act decisively (as only governments can) to end any nightmare that might threaten our idiot's paradise.
So long as the USSR and Warsaw Pact existed, this could never quite take hold; not if one government of 'wise men' was perpetually at the throats of the others.

But like any disease, when you don't finish the course of anti-biotics, it waits in the wings to come rushing back after the crisis passes.

So, when this overriding doubt due to the Soviets led to the Freedom movements of the Eighties, here and in America, the victory of Freedom was morphed into the victory of the 'West', that all inclusive definition of 'freedom' that presumes on the imagined generosity of the Free; then this became 'Western Democracy', the flight from conflict, the escape from victory leading to an avoidance of the need to define at all.
Thence to the stodgy, meaningless repetition of plain 'Democracy', the totem word in any tyrant's verbal arsenal, the noise he emits to convince the easily convinced that he is 'still on our side'.
And the string of wars and invasions goes on, and the world slips into a full circle move, so that we are all members of the greater Soviet whether we realise it or not; and 'wise men' in big governments still try to take credit.
But there is nothing left to take credit for, so they dream up imaginary success to take credit for, dancing a media-frenzy Polka without partners and with fewer and fewer slaves taking notice.
And living in a bigger and bigger slave pen.