Romans: based on military conquest, client kings and client states, the wealthy living in towns with country houses, and the poor living in apartment squalor, mass sports for the plebs, frequent executions to keep the mob at bay etc.
2006-12-12 03:06:59 · 12 answers · asked by Perseus 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
No - the Romans left their country and built roads, water systems and new modern towns all over Europe.
Americans never leave the USA and they bomb roads, water systems and modern towns all over the world.
They're the opposite.
2006-12-12 03:14:01 · answer #1 · answered by Cracker 4 · 5⤊ 2⤋
The only reason the US is having any difficulty in Iraq is because they are trying hard NOT to kill everyone.
If Americans were like Romans of old, they would have slaughtered all the Iraqi men and sold the women and children into slavery.
Then they would import unemployed Mexicans to work the oilfields.
If Iran or anyone else had issues with it, they would receive the same treatment.
Americans build roads all the time, and as conquerors, they would rebuild after devestating the unruly populace.
The world often forgets just how different the US is than "traditional" empires.
To address the second part of your question, all societies are based on merchant activity. If it primarily based on conquest, that is a very limited and self defeating long term economic strategy.
Soviet Russia and Ghengis Khan were not able to sustain their economies despite massive armies.
To say that the US society is based on military might is simplistic.
US economic might is based on maritime supremacy, allowing for the safe and relatively cheap movement of goods to relatively free markets.
Comparisons to the Roman Empire are only apt to a point. The Roman Empire, impressive as it was, was never more than a regional one. India, China and the Maya remained untouched and unaffected. Most comparisons between Rome and Washington are based simply on coincidence of the condition of humans living in urban envrionments in a trade based society.
Military might simply is the means to securing the global marketplace.
I think you mischaracterize Americans by refering to them as "plebs", as if you are so much better than all of them. They run the range of human potential, just like everyone else. They just happen to belong to the mightiest social force on Earth today.
2006-12-12 11:51:16 · answer #2 · answered by aka DarthDad 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Even the USA policy in the Middle East is old Roman policy
2006-12-12 11:37:15 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Oh, I think the current American Republic is so much like the Ancient Roman Republic that it's unsettling...we're like the ancient Romans in so many ways that it almost bring an ominous feeling
2006-12-12 11:13:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
If you think American society is like the Romans of old, you need to read more history books. There are similarities, but they are extremely different.
2006-12-12 11:10:40 · answer #5 · answered by Paul H 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Yea, good question. And what happened to the roman empire, look to the hills for the elephants guys!
2006-12-12 11:22:10 · answer #6 · answered by jj26 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
And they're still conspiring to stab the leader in the back, literally. I hope! XD
2006-12-12 11:15:17 · answer #7 · answered by ? 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Actually, it's worse:
http://www.michaelparenti.org/Imperialism101.html
2006-12-12 11:15:17 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
We are working on it.
2006-12-12 11:11:22 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
NO!
And that is all the answer your question deserves.
Thank you very much, while you're up!!!!!!
2006-12-12 11:17:49 · answer #10 · answered by producer_vortex 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋