Comparisons have been made between the collapse of the Roman Empire and the United States today. Do you agree?
612209
Very much. While I'm no expert in Roman history, from what I remember from high school, Rome was taken down by a combination of complacent and out of touch citizens, corrupt and incompetant politicians, and a hodgepodge of smaller enemy groups that attacked them from all sides.\n\nIf that doesn't sounds familiar to Americans, we're just not paying attention at all.
693750
The US is nothing like the USSR of yesterday.  The fact that you can openly complain about our government shows the difference.  Sure we have our problems here but, Americans really have it good.
29232
That comparison is dated. Americans have never followed even the noblest of ideals championed by our for fathers when they are against money matters. The USA is now the puppet master that pulls the strings of over half of the world. It didn't start with Iraq. We've been doing it for over 200 years now. And it's good that we have been too. If we didn't grab up the oportunities someone else would. Look at history. Every country that gets its interior problems sorted out turn to imperialism, even our civilized cousins the French, the Belgians, the Swiss, all of them. Would you rather someone else held the whip?
535695
They are completely different and both are very important for progress of a country. They were interdependent to much extent in historical times, now that's not the case.
468802
I definitely agree that our society is going downhill.  Unfortunately, it agrees with history.\n\nIf you look back on all of the great societies of the past, Egyptian, Roman, Babylon, etc.  they have all crumbled for one reason or another.\n\nI hate to think that our society is on the same path but looking around it's hard not to think that way.  Our government is trying to conquer the world, politically.  The claim that other countries are wrong if they do not share our same views.\n\nThe U.S. is the lone Super Power in the world today, but China and India are making up ground at an unbelievable pace.\n\nI love America and I want nothing more than our society to flourish, not to be torn apart by our government's incompetence and inability.
1103612
Five years ago, I would have said they were liberal liars who simply hated America.\n\nToday, I would say they're pretty much spot on.  Over the past 5 years, I have watched in horror as the US trounces human rights, civil liberties, and the protections of the US Constitution - and Americans still re-elected this President.  By a slim margin, true, but that even 50% of us still thought what he was doing was by any means appropriate is to me, perfectly disastrous.\n\nAmericans will never stand up for what it means to be American so long as they have bread and circuses - that is what Roman emperors called 'appeasement of the masses' - so long as they had enough to eat, and entertainment, the Roman citizenry allowed their government to get away with all sorts of atrocities.\n\nSounds familiar, doesn't it.  America.  What a waste of opportunity.
473497
Why did the Roman empire fall?  Do some research into history and find out why past empires fell.  Power struggles and oppositions for power; dictatorial structure of governments, too many laws structured over the years to oppress the citizens into rebellion, economic greed by the rulers.. bickering by  rulers as to coveting territory and its natural resources... History and Anthropology is full of many reasons that helped the decline and fall of a government.  It is said that a government will START to decline after 200 years of its inception. It may take another 75 years to fully see it fall.  Could be a reason for the "grass roots" citizen to start to become concerned about our country and how it is governed... don't you think???
1119957
I don't think the Empire will crumble for another hundred years or more. That is, if the world survives a hundred years. C'est la vie!
3505
Now. Just OMO.\n  We live in luxury and comfort, with health and longevity, medical care and security, social and otherwise, enjoyed by even the lowest classes in society, that the Aristocrats, Kings and Emperors of the past, would envy, including our Education. Intellectual life was never so good, and\nwe are overwhelmed with the variety and ways we can entertain ourselves. \n  I believe that future civilisations will look back on us now as a Golden Age, perhaps calling us Roosevelts America, as some historians refer to Pericles Athens as the highpoint and golden Age of Athens and Greece.
210150
Yes, only this time it will be Jews &christians .It's Rome vs. Judah,Judah vs.Rome. First Rome occupied Judah  2000 years ago but Judah undermined the Romans individually and as a culture  therebyreplacing the frivolous morality the Romans had at the time.Then the dark ages of the Roman church age. Then the rennisance when the classical age seemed to make a comeback in middle ages.Oops then the reformation.Then judah' winning again.then the french revolution, with the rabble back in power, the wwi &ww2 the rabble defeats the purebreeds again.hurray for our side!only problem-christianity is declining,what to replace it with?hmmmm.I know, people like sex, people like drugs.people just like to feel good.Hey that sounds like ancient!Let's just go back to the old religion, it didn't have the requirements of the gospels of christ, Heck,we already do these activities anyway why not make it the law of the land?And while we are at it let's kill the people who are interfering with our happiness-the christians!and the people who started all of this,the Jews.Are not the ancient fires burning again?.You do away with the christian god, no one believes in his rules anymore.anything goes.soon enough when someone kills a Jew or christian they willthink they did the world a favor.Only problem is when the lord returns and fries their butt.
302180
I see many similarities between Ancient Rome and America today. Both expanded their holdings using War, and then assimilated the populations into their own, whether they want to be or not. Both rule absolutely depend-less on how their peoples feel, and America shall go down in the hands of "Barbarians" just as Rome did. Everything that is big becomes small. that is Nature.
850169
I didn't write this but I think you'll find it interesting.\nThe fall of America.\n\nAbout the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior:\n\n"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."\n\n"The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:\n\n1. From bondage to spiritual faith;\n2. From spiritual faith to great courage;\n3. From courage to liberty;\n4. From liberty to abundance;\n5. From abundance to complacency;\n6. From complacency to apathy;\n7. From apathy to dependence;\n8. From dependence back into bondage "\n\nProfessor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the 2000 Presidential election:\n\nPopulation of counties won by: Gore: 127 million; Bush: 143 million;\n\nSquare miles of land won by: Gore: 580,000; Bush: 2,427,000\n\nStates won by: Gore: 19; Bush: 29\n\nMurder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Gore: 13.2; Bush: 2.1\n\n&nbs p;Professor Olson adds: "In aggregate, the map of the territory Bush won was mostly the land owned by the tax-paying citizens of this great country. Gore's territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off government welfare..."\n\nOlson believes the United States is now somewhere between the "complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some 40 percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase. If the Senate grants Amnesty and citizenship to 20 million invaders called illegals and they vote, then goodbye USA in less than 5 years.\n\nJust something to think about...........
124338
I think there is a combination of socialism and democracy that has yet to be realized. As for America, you alsom must realize that all empires eventually fall. Be it in 100 years or 1000. Nothing lasts forever.
439756
It's happening right now before your eyes. The USA is becoming marginalized just like Europe and most recently England. It will be drastically apparent in about 20 years, as China begins to approach the US economy in overall size (GDP).\n\nIt is interesting to see that some Americans are starting to sense something historical is happening. Historians of the future 100 years from now, will look back at the early 1990's when China first started taking off. Yes, it has been happening for that long, but 99% of Americans just didn't pay attention, now there is no stopping China and India from becoming the center of the world for what probably will be for the rest of the existence of humanity.
9538
Rome and the USA are connected through it's morals, except that Rome was out to conquer the world the USA is out to control the world. (The difference is that the USA isn't actually making the conquered countries part of it, but is still establishing it's influence.) However what took Rome a thousand years, took the United States only two-hundred. The USA may be corrupted but it's citizens will stand together when faced with a problem. (WWII)
693722
I think you already know the answer to this question. \n\n Any casual student of history should see the hand writing on the wall.  Rome fell because it's military was over committed, it's cities were decaying, it had high inflation and unemployment. There was an every growing disparity between the rich and the masses.  The Romans faced an unconventional army of Barbarian invaders (the terrorists of their time). \n\nThe end of American world supremacy is not tragic.  Tragedy happens when the end is foreseen but nothing is done ease into a new peaceful relationship with the rest of the world.  The center of world power is moving to Asia.
1163086
History shows when you destroy the middle class the economy and state will fall as well.  This is why the roman empire fell.  There can not be black and white meaning poor and rich.  Look at the depression.