History does not have an end in itself; rather, the end lies outside it, in eternity. It is, as could be expected from Berdyaev, a Christian vision of history, which is nothing more than an eon within the divine plan, set in motion—this eon—by human freedom. Specifically, Berdyaev argues that it is the freedom to do evil that sets history in motion, which suggests that the author believes that if humanity had not used its freedom for evil, we would probably not have history as we know it, but something else entirely. Yet, he does not delve further into this point.
According to Berdyaev, we are entering the era that follows the Renaissance, characterized by a new barbarism whose most visible faces are capitalism and socialism, the latter a consequence of the former. Antiquity was marked by human life at the level of nature, giving this concept a negative connotation, opposed to the spiritual. It was during the Middle Ages that Christianity imbued the human being with spirituality, which then accumulated strength that was later unleashed in the Renaissance, an age of creativity and freedom. Berdyaev considers that in the medieval world, this freedom had been restrained, although he does not explain exactly why. The Renaissance, however, sought to return to classical ideals, which were no longer compatible with the new Christian spirituality. Consequently, it eventually ran its course, and here we are, in a new barbarism awaiting its own new Middle Ages (the title of one of his better-known but less frequently published works).
These theses are clearly explained and remain convincing at their core. As a philosopher of history, Berdyaev was one of the most insightful interpreters of his time.