Is America going the way of the Roman Empire?

Question

Causes of the collapse of the Roman Empire:

Decline in Morals and Values
Public Health
Political Corruption
Unemployment
Inflation
Urban Decay
Inferiour Technology
Military Spending

See Best answer: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070524150226AACAZqJ

Oh poor Matt it must be really dark in that little box you are living in.

I am not Brithish or an empirialist.

Answer 1

Yes ! Rome fell from within !! Very good point. To bad so many others don't see it,.

Answer 2

While I did read your best answer regarding Rome, I think it missed the mark. You'll want to look into such economic minutae as population growth, output growth by type of output, trade volume, and marginal productivity. {Hint: why was the serf system introduced?}

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That said, the Roman Empire in the West lasted for over 400 years. In the East, it lasted for over 1400 years. By those standards, America still has a ways to go before we measure up.

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The Founding Fathers of America were well aware of the cycles of government types within a people and went to great pains to devise a system of government which might withstand the forces that would try to take way our freedoms.

However, we have systematically cut several of those 'checks and balances' out of the system by amending the Constitution. I'm particularly thinking here of the direct election of US Senators and the ability to levy a tax that is not apportioned among the several states based solely on population [income tax].

Both of these deleted provisions tended to keep the Federal government small and weak, as the Founders intended. Pandering to the crowds [which the Founders observed occurred regularly in Paris and London] was kept in control by a shortage of funds.

Overly rabble rousing politicians and their programs were regularly voted down in the US Senate, whose members owed their positions to their relationships with the state governments, not to whatever pablum was preached to the undereducated masses (usually by a power hunger elite).

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So I'd say we're heading down a different road than the Romans.

I must admit, thought, that it does look like it will end up on the ash heap of history just the same.

Answer 3

An excellent book on this subject is 'Nemesis - The Last Days of the American Republic' by Chalmers Johnson. In this book he draws some very interesting parallels between the Roman and US republics and how the US seems to be devolving into an empire just as Rome did.

Answer 4

I was told that the Roman Empire's #1 mistake that lead to their most unfortunate demise was allowing foreigners among them to work as slaves for cheap wages.
The Romans couldn't support themselves because all of the employers wanted the cheap slave labor instead of hiring legal citizens and didn't want to pay fair wages when they didn't have to.
Sound familiar?
When the society becomes corrupt the people will cry out for an honest leader to lead them but no honest person will want to.
They will ask someone capable to lead them but the people they ask will say no and walk away.
(It says that somewhere in the bible,I think in Proverbs)
If the Politicians are corrupt then it is because honest people don't think they can lead a corrupt society and will move onto more fulfilling opportunities.
I think as a society we need to fix ourselves before expecting our leaders to do it for us.
Television needs to be censored as it used to be when America was wholesome.
Music should be censored as it once was when America was wholesome.
No more "Sex sells" and allowing advertisers to use sex as an instrument to sell their products.
Do away with Political Correctness and if it looks like a cake call it a cake just like we did when America was wholesome.
Make senseless violence in movies and on television unaceptalbe to mainstream audiences just like it was when America was wholesome.
Freedom of speech is a cherished right among Americans but Music such as "Rap & Heavy Metal" that promotes a warped sense of reality should not be sold to mainstream consumers.
And by 'warped sense of reality' I mean anything that glamorizes murder,rape,drugs,drinking,
hate,suicide and worshiping Satan gives people the idea that those kinds of things are acceptable and promotes the decay of society.
I also think outlawing pornography would help society find it's way back to the wholesome America that it once was and could still be if we all pull together and voice our opinions of what we find acceptable and not acceptable.
America was wholesome and strong for a reason.
Prayer was allowed in the Schools and reading the bible among students was the norm and istead of sex education respect,honor and good manners were taught.
Why did we let the deviants take the wheel and lead us straight toward the decline of our Nation?
Alot needs to be done to get back what we once had but it can be done with determination and Uniting against the immoral and corrupt people that we have working against us to destroy our good Country.
All we need is for someone to be the first to speak out without fear and show they are not afraid to call a cake a cake.
But as long as Political Correctness has a choke hold over us we won't be able to call it how we see it.
So who'se going to be the first to break it's spell?

Answer 5

in basic terms thinkg is that Rome fell after being around many extra years than u.s.. i'm attempting to discover a link to a checklist I examine some years in the past, yet not having plenty success. It centred extra on the attitudes of the human beings throughout an develop and fall of a civilization, and in certainty summed it up as human beings being extra formidable early on, then growing to be lazy and grasping with a blind eye to the actual issues that be counted as they're pacified by many distractions and grow to be complacent. Sorry cant be of extra help.

Answer 6

Yes you are right on that. All that is happening in the US right now as well. The only difference is the US has only been around 200 years or so and this isn't a monarchy. We have a constitution that states whenever the people are unsatisfied with the government they have a right to put a new one in place.

Answer 7

The largest problems facing America:

1) Too many women creating single parent households. Single parent households generally produce needy and uneducated grownups
2) Unsecure borders( 67% of illegal aliens are high school dropouts. Also over 25% of all federal prisoners are foreigners)
3) The growing trade deficit with other countries which is causing the decline of the middle class, decline in R&D, and an increase in the national debt.

Answer 8

Interesting.. reading your link, I have to agree there are quite a few similarities to the Roman Empire and what is going on in the US right now.

Answer 9

no empire lasts forever...duh...the united states won't less forever, its only a matter of time. the united states IS the roman empire of today and sooner or later it will fall...although i do think it has the capacity to last longer than the roman empire since the world is just a little more advanced overall.

Answer 10

I hope not but you have all the right causes down and its striking in how close the 2 societies are. the big advantage we have is our isolation and the strength of our beginning.