Cynicism Brings Change to Society, Not Morality
Study History to Understand Human Nature and Predict the Future
We love to celebrate moral heroes—those who fight for justice, equality, and freedom, transforming society for the better.
From Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of racial harmony to modern campaigns for gender equality, we’re quick to applaud these changes as triumphs of human goodness.
But what if we’re missing the real story?
What if the engine of societal progress isn’t morality but something far less noble—cynicism, self-interest, power?
History suggests that the reforms we cherish are often driven by pragmatic, even selfish motives, cloaked in the language of virtue.
Believing that morality alone reshapes the world sets us up to misread the present and misjudge what comes next.
This article dives into several historical cases from different time periods where moral reforms masked ulterior motives.
From Mao Zedong’s push for women’s rights to Saudi Arabia’s lifting of the women’s driving ban, leaders have used moral language to advance their own goals—power, profit, survival.
By studying these examples, we can better understand the real incentives behind change and spot those same dynamics in the world today.
History isn’t just a record of what happened. It’s a pattern. And that pattern reveals how people act when they want something badly enough.
Unmasking Cynical Motives Behind Societal Reforms
Mao Zedong’s Support for Women’s Rights (1920s–1950s)
In the chaos of China’s Civil War, Mao Zedong and the Communist Party (CCP) championed a cause that seemed revolutionary: women’s rights.
During the civil war this helped Mao to secure support of womens' who were ignored by the Nationalists.
The 1950 Marriage Law, enacted after the CCP’s victory, promised women equality, banning arranged marriages and granting divorce rights.
It looked like a feminist milestone.
But it was a strategic move.
The CCP needed to weaken traditional power structures that supported the Nationalists—Confucian hierarchies, landowning elites, and the rural patriarchy.
By promoting women’s rights, the CCP mobilized new supporters and disrupted their enemies’ social base.
Rhetoric aside, the policy was selectively enforced. Rural areas largely ignored it when it clashed with political priorities.
Women’s rights served a larger goal: winning a war and consolidating power.
Lyndon Johnson and the Civil Rights Act of 1964
In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, outlawing racial segregation and discrimination.
He framed it as a moral imperative—aligning America with its democratic values.
But it was also about global optics and domestic politics.
The Soviet Union hammered the U.S. for its hypocrisy on human rights.
Newly independent nations in Africa and Asia were watching.
At home, civil rights protests made continued inaction politically costly.
Johnson, a seasoned operator, also saw a path to reshaping the Democratic coalition by locking in Black voters.
Moral principles were in the mix. But strategic calculations did the heavy lifting.
Russian Tsar’s Abolition of Serfdom (1861)
In 1861, Tsar Alexander II freed Russia’s serfs—an act that looked like a step toward dignity and freedom for everyone.
But the trigger was military failure.
The Crimean War exposed Russia’s weakness. Its feudal economy couldn’t support a modern army.
Emancipation wasn’t about ideals. It was about freeing labor, modernizing the economy, and building a military that could compete with the West.
Even the rollout showed where the tsar’s priorities lay: peasants got little land and remained dependent on landlords.
The reform was about keeping the empire alive, not lifting people up.
More Historical Events Show the Same Pattern
Cynical motives wrapped in moral language aren’t the exception—they’re the pattern.
Here are ten more examples:
British Abolition of the Slave Trade (1807): Britain ended the transatlantic slave trade as it shifted toward industry. Abolition hurt rival economies and justified British naval actions, expanding global influence.
U.S. Prohibition (1919–1933): Banning alcohol was framed as a moral stand. But it also aligned with industrialists' push for productivity and nativists’ disdain for immigrant culture.
French Revolution’s Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789): The revolution’s ideals served the bourgeoisie, who used them to dismantle aristocratic privileges and seize power.
British Factory Acts (1833–1847): Child labor laws looked compassionate but also supported mechanization and quelled unrest that threatened industrial growth.
Ottoman Tanzimat Reforms (1839–1876): Equal rights for non-Muslims were marketed as modernization but were designed to win European favor and suppress internal dissent.
Japanese Meiji Abolition of Samurai Class (1873): Ending samurai privileges helped the state centralize power and modernize its military, not democratize society.
Spanish Abolition of Slavery in Cuba (1886): Spain abolished slavery due to economic changes, independence pressure, and British influence—not moral awakening.
Prussian Education Reforms (1763–1806): Mandatory education was pitched as civic enlightenment but focused on producing obedient workers and soldiers.
South African Apartheid Reforms (1980s): Token desegregation aimed to ease sanctions and unrest, buying time—not pursuing justice.
Saudi Women’s Right to Drive (2018): This was part of an economic pivot and PR campaign, not a standalone feminist victory.
Across continents and centuries, power, stability, and image repeatedly trumped virtue.
Focus on Their Self-Interest, Not Morality
History is blunt: societal change often stems from leaders acting in their own interest—not from moral conviction.
Mao needed fighters. Johnson needed votes. Alexander II needed a better army.
The same pattern repeats in all other examples.
Idealists and activists matter. They create the pressure. But decisions happen when power stands to gain.
Why does this matter?
Because it clears the fog.
Understanding that power drives reform helps you see the world more clearly—and predict what’s next.
Governments adopting climate policies?
It’s not just about the planet. It’s about cost, public unrest, and positioning in a green economy.
Tech companies promoting diversity?
That’s often about brand, recruitment, and lawsuit avoidance.
If history is your lens, you can stop falling for the marketing.
Use this mindset daily.
When your company launches a new equity program. When a politician talks justice. When a city announces a bold new initiative.
Ask: Who gains?
It’s not about feeling negative about humans, it’s about understanding the human nature and using that so everyone can benefit.
And it’s the best shot you’ve got at understanding where things are headed.