Ancient Rome & The U.S

[Slaker4012]

Today I was asked whether or not I think at the rate America is going, will it suffer the same fate as Ancient Rome. Ancient Rome fell because of four different factors: Political, Social, Military, and Economic. Its been bugging me all day because I have no clue. I mean America isn’t going in a great direction with our choice of leaders. But I don’t know if I would say it’s going to fall the same way Ancient Rome did.

What are everyone’s thoughts on this?

( I thought that this was kind of a political question )

[Z17]

From what i've always understood, rome fell because it's people and leaders got too....comfortable. They just overindulged, and had no real concern for really anything but their own personal luxuries. I'm sure there were other factors, but I've always been taught that that was the phsychological factor of it.

~Z~

[Slaker4012]

Hm, well the person i was talking to said it was kind of a political thing. Like here are some examples of what I was told:

The government became oppressive and lost support of citizens

Dividing the empire into a Western and Eastern half led to a less effective government

[Z17]

I'm sure that's true. As I said, there were many factors, the one I gave was just one of them.

~Z~

[Ravens-Grin]

At 10/6/04 07:55 PM, Slaker4012 wrote: Dividing the empire into a Western and Eastern half led to a less effective government

Which was the result of the government over-extending itself, and various other factors that you can google to find out. There are a lot of reasons for the collapse.

[Lisa4Catholis]

Every major civilization that fell was because of internal rot.There was sex without conequences, infantcide,violence was rampant,generally each to his own no loyalty no respect for others, a selfconsumed,tunnelvisioned society.Would you say that is a definition of America?

[demsthenes]

Rome was never really in a stable governmental situation past the destruction of Cathage. From then on there were constant power struggles, civil and external wars that constantly ate up Rome's manpower and destroyed moral. Around the time Rome was becoming an empire, there were serveral progressions of civil wars between the optimates a more conservitive group(Cato the Younger, Sulla, Crassus) and the populares a group for the people (Caesar, Marius, Octavian). Now in the United States, shifts between party control of the government occur with not much strife, like no civil wars and outright chaos. The shear destruction between power changes in Rome was a major factor in its fall in 476.

[little-bald-kid]

Ofcourse America will fall apart. Every empire falls apart eventually.

Egypt
Rome
Greece
France
Britain
Germany

..The next to fall will be America, after which the power is currently most likely drift to China.

[demsthenes]

True, someday America will fall from being the world power, but I wouldn't go as far as saying the next world power will be China. China is a possibility, but I think America will retain its powerful stance in the world for another century. During this time, America will compete with China and possible remove them as a threat. Another possibility is the European Union, if they pool there resources they will be as powerful as the U.S

[BrickMurus]

Ok a few things for you people to realize. Rome fell to to the lost of its military might throughout time. This was due to several battles with major Roman losses plus the over extension of the empire. Then you had such great people as the Goths who came and kicked major ass and looted Rome. So even if America overextends itself, then we still have our allies, which the Romans did not have. China is no threat to the US, the can't reach us. Last time I checked they had no aircraft carriers, and no way they would ever be able to launch a major offensive against North America since they have shitty naval power. Why the hell do you think they still have trouble with Taiwan. Plus China does not have the technological military advantage and I am sure their training is not as good as America's and most of our allies (who by the way kick major ass) So China won't get the power, they are relatively weak. Now the European Union, if they were able to really gain a collective body of government and act quickly as one force, then they could be in line for the title of ULTRA-HYPER-MEGA-SUPER-POWER.

[AndrewJTalon]

I'm not saying we won't fall one day, but to be honest, it's REALLY freaking difficult to destroy a government as complex and as large as ours is. And besides: Our style of government was BASED upon longevity and stability. Other empires may have lasted longer, but were rife with civil war and instability that threatened to destroy them. We've had only one civil war, and none of the major social disturbances (Such as the 1960s) really threatened our government's existence. The draft was only one part of the government, after all. You can cut off a finger, but the rest of the body lives. And, in our case, cut off the head, we have another one standing by...

[I-am-Iron-Man]

At 10/7/04 05:35 PM, little_bald_kid wrote: Ofcourse America will fall apart. Every empire falls apart eventually.

Egypt
Rome
Greece
France
Britain
Germany

..The next to fall will be America, after which the power is currently most likely drift to China.

Thank you, Mr. Negative. Besides, in your big list, you forgot to mention Mother Russia. Or have you forgotten a little thing, called, "The Cold War?" But America's not an empire. It's a free country. Empires tend to rule with an iron fist. So, if anyone's going down in flames, next, my money's on Cuba.

[llama]

At 10/8/04 01:18 AM, CrazytheClown wrote:

At 10/7/04 05:35 PM, little_bald_kid wrote: Ofcourse America will fall apart. Every empire falls apart eventually.

Egypt
Rome
Greece
France
Britain
Germany

..The next to fall will be America, after which the power is currently most likely drift to China.

Thank you, Mr. Negative. Besides, in your big list, you forgot to mention Mother Russia. Or have you forgotten a little thing, called, "The Cold War?" But America's not an empire. It's a free country. Empires tend to rule with an iron fist. So, if anyone's going down in flames, next, my money's on Cuba.

America does the rule the world with an iron fist if you haven't noticed. If you have something and America wants it, you better give it to them or they'll destroy you. They've jewed us Canadians out of so much klumber and water.

[I-am-Iron-Man]

At 10/8/04 02:28 AM, No_Woman_No_Cry wrote:

America does the rule the world with an iron fist if you haven't noticed. If you have something and America wants it, you better give it to them or they'll destroy you. They've jewed us Canadians out of so much klumber and water.

I happen to be American, so I take exception to that. Here's what my dawg, Mr. T, has to say to you.

[TheOmnipotent]

These days a country wont simply fall anymore... there are too many relating factors and with the large population and there actually being a very organized government no matter how u see it good or bad... US will not fall, chances of a civil war are slim to none and the factors are too difference between rome and the US

[Doran]

I would like to think that eventually the whole world will unit into a single union, but that's a bit idealistic and something I believe I'll never see. Eventually the US will fall from being the major world power like Rome did. There is one rather significant difference, though: the US has a nuclear stock-pile and the ability to deliver them to any part of the globe, Rome didn't have that. Therefore, the US will never cease to exist like the Roman Empire did, but it's likely that the US will lose its supremacy over time. As long as the US has enough warheads to nuke the world several times over, no nation will truly surpass the US in power to the point where they could police the world, the US included. On a sidenote, could you imagine a future world power demanding that the US president turn over its WMDs? Wouldn't that be an ironic?

[TheOmnipotent]

Idealism is something very important in todays society, without idealism, the world would never be like the one today, slavery may still be around in the US, the constitution may never be around, idealism played a main role in construction the world

[The-General-Public]

If Brutus wasn't an Idealist, Caesar never would've been assassinated. If the Roman People were more idealistic, Caesar never would've come to power.

[The-General-Public]

You might be able to tell that I just read Julius Caesar by Shakespeare. Its really an amazing political commentary, the Roman people, barely even knowing about Caesar's wars with Pompey throw banners and decorations over statues. They totally ignore the senators who try to remind them how their ancestors struggled to defeat the Last King of Rome. So really, as long as we keep a decent portion of our population at least somewhat informed, our Democracy will live.