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started in 1776 as far as I can tell.
Another possibility for the next phase that is at least as realistic as the two that DeLong considers is: the breakup of of the former USA into several independent or loosely confederated republics.
Jane,
I find DeLong's efforts to talk of continued Republic phases utterly confusing. If, in the New Deal, so-called phase of our Republic, the Federal Gov't by his own description already had "unbridled" power, how could it be said the US was really still a Republic by any meaningful definition of that term? Little Jamie Madison, with his notion of "Feudal" Republics, must be rolling over in his grave.
John Adams in 1775 phrased it very nicely, that a Republic had a rule of Law, an Empire was rule by despotic men without any sense of Law. That is a pretty apt description of America today.
To call this a "Third Republic" is nonsense! It is, perhaps, the Fourth stage or phase of Empire, to be a bit more accurate.
With great structured pretense, he has given us verbal garbage, or at the very best, garbled verbiage!