FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE

Long ago a book was published with the title, “Fall of The Roman Empire”. I recall borrowing it (we called it “taking it out” back in the day) from the Brentwood Public Library in Brentwood, New York. I had taken it out with a bunch of other books and don’t recall ever actually reading it.

I have wondered if there were any comparisons between the fall of the Roman Empire to the reduction in America’s influence in the world including, what most agree to believe, the collapse of society and culture in the United States.

Someday, and I mean during this 2024 calendar year, I am going to find that book and actually read it. However, I have spent the last few days “googling it” and came up with what I believe to be 8 main parallels between what happened throughout the Roman Empire and what is occurring in the United States today.

1. Failing economy / economic problems and reliance upon slave labor / unskilled workforce working for low wages. Rome had a long string of endless wars and over spending. The United States rarely, if ever since its existence, has been at peace. Its current spending deficit speaks for itself. In Rome there was an ever increasing gap in the wealth of the super rich and super poor. That happening in America speaks for itself. (I’m going to use that term a lot throughout this rambling.) Over taxation, high inflation and citizens fleeing the taxman into other countries exist in both examples (Rome and America).
2. Trying to expand its influence throughout the world and overspending on military budgets. Rome did so by literally expanding itself across the European world and simply overextending its supply chains and reinforcement lines. America does so by “sticking its nose” in every foreign affair and its military overspending, especially to finance the Ukrain’s war with Russia, is infamous.
3. For Rome it was the invasion by the Huns and migration of numerous clans of barbarians. For America it is the invasion across the southern border and migration of millions of numerous nationalities that do not accept American laws, ethics, freedoms, and culture – essentially our version of “barbarians”. During the Roman Empire times wars chased entire cultures fleeing attacks into Roman occupied and controlled areas. During our time millions are alleging they are political refugees fleeing war, famine and persecution. In both examples, the weakening of the society by the mass immigration allowed for enemy states to simply “walk right in”. Americans should be panicked by this example.
4. Weakening of the Roman Military / Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the American Military. For Rome, it was the hiring of mercenaries because they couldn’t find qualified soldiers and the ones they did, did not have any loyalty to the legion. In America, the military is more interested in promoting unqualified members to meet quotas for “certain types” rather than promoting the actually qualified members. Allowing members with obvious mental problems to be promoted to high ranking positions, like Admirals, places military members, strategy, and safety at huge risk. Promoting members because of their gender or race simply to meet some “ratio” is just foolish.
5. The collapse of religion and conservative values. For both examples, Rome and American (despite the separation of Church and State) interference by religious leaders and their insistence on laws to be imposed on everyone (think limitations on abortion as one example) and the absolute collapse of society and culture occurred in Rome and is occurring in the United States today.
6. Government corruption and political instability. Is there any need for further discussion here? How is it possible that people of relative moderate means get elected into office, stay there for life, come out of office multimillionaires and not be “on the take” if not outright extorting their influence?
7. The rise of the Eastern Empire. For Rome, it was dividing its empire into 2 main parts and having the eastern part governed by the Greeks. Attacks from “the east” contributed to the collapse of the entire empire. For America, it is the extreme divide in political appetite. There is extreme left wing socialism / bordering on marxist totalitarianism versus the extreme right wing conservatives / bordering on ancient English aristocratic culture and rule.
8. Continued invasions by barbarian tribes / continued invasion of military aged and well fit “refugees”, drugs, criminals released from prisons if they agree to migrate north. For Rome, it was actual war parties invading its territories resulting in the defeat of the last Roman Ceasar – Augustulus around 476. For America it is the uncontrolled border crossings discussed in the heading that is leaving its citizens, its territory, its laws, its culture, its morals, values and ethics, and its existence all at great risk.

Will Americans ever look to the past to see what can happen in the present? There is a reason why the liberals in America want a dumbing down of the American student, the erasure of history, the actual re-writing of historical facts. They don’t want Americans to learn about what happened in the past so they, the liberals, can repeat it.