Why is America like the Roman Empire?
Because it has garrisoned its troops all over the world?
That's one reason, but only one.
Because Americans are like Romans?
Some are; some are like the Roman Senators of the fifth century,
one of the most rapacious and ruthless ruling classes that ever held
power. Think Mafia. For the amount of wealth: think billionaires today.
Perhaps other Americans have begun to understand this: Obama's election
would indicate that. However, the selfish class is fighting hard to keep its privileges. Obama's election is no guarantee that they won't prevail in the end.
Roman Senators were selfish and self-absorbed, determined to
hoard the huge wealth of the empire and determined to promote empire to
enhance their wealth even further. The common people lost all power and
were lucky if they had enough to eat (they were the humiliores, literally the humble, as opposed to the honestiores, the honored). To learn how this happened, click on Brief History.
Our CEO's and the well-connected, may even
style themselves after those fateful Senators, the ones who presided
over and helped connive in the Fall of Rome.
The Roman Empire fell because it was bankrupted by its leaders;
well, look at the red ink now!
Budget deficits, trade deficits, a huge
national debt that tripled when George W Bush took power and has now
grown even faster under Obama. At least the deficits Obama is running
now might prevent further economic catastrophe--if the bailout funds
aren't all stolen by the high-fliers, and if the bloated financial
system is radically reformed. What are the chances?
Does anyone remember when we were actually paying down the debt?
Romans, and now Americans, have had the misfortune of being ruled by a Selfish Class. Rome fell because of it. Will America replay the Fall of Rome?
What does all this have to do with "America now?"
For just a few examples of parallels:
think of corporations exporting jobs as comparable to driving the
Roman peasants off the land (which leads us also to immigration:
see this link for a debate on immigration.
Think of the tremendous powers gathered by the President since 9/11 as
comparable to the state created by Diocletian (it was in response to the
fear of chaos); think of the drive to repeal the estate tax as an
attempt to create a class like the Senators of fifth century Rome; think
of the brutalization of crime and punishment, although we don't crucify
our criminals yet;
think of our increasing reliance on mercenaries (contractors) and the
increasing professionalization of the military;
and think of the state of US finances: growing deficits and huge trade
imbalances with no end in sight. Is bankruptcy possible? Stay tuned.
A contemporary note: The financial turmoil generated by the
sub-prime mortgage meltdown has had such widespread effects because real
estate was the best source of credit for many Americans, who are
spending more than they're earning, despite tremendous increases in
productivity in the last two decades; their wages have not kept pace.
Now, people can't finance all the things they were used to buying
through a home credit line. They are not yet driven down to the modern
equivalent of fifth century serfs, but they will if the selfish class
(see below) has its way.
An economy based on a small wealthy class is highly unstable, and
given the problems of a faltering empire, it is much more liable to
collapse.
There are adherents to single factors, but more people think a
combination of such factors as Christianity, decadence, lead, monetary
trouble, and military problems caused the Fall of Rome. Imperial
incompetence and chance could be added to the list. Even the rise of
Islam is proposed as the reason for Rome's fall, by some who think the
Fall of Rome happened at Constantinople in A.D. 1453.
The Republic was dying. It had got its mortal blows long before Caesar
crossed Rubicon and its constitutional institutions lost their vitality
and could not be restored. However the myth of the Republic, its
ideology and forms had been preserved. Romans could not put an end to
the old tradition. When they did it at last, they did not resemble their
ancestors from the times of the Republic in any way.
Submitted by: Councilor Roger Cote
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