Category: Civilization, History, and Anthropology

TO STATE THE OBVIOUS WE ARE COLLAPSING EXACTLY AS DID ROME.

—“Which historical empire collapse do you see as most similar to our current situation? Mongols? Rome? Habsburg’s? Something else? Or are we so different nothing is really analogous?”—@dagmar_schmitt

The study of history tells us all empires collapse for the same reasons: overextension, bureaucratic calcification (rent seeking), demographics dilution and immigration, (disease), and raiding.

However, in our case we are most similar to Rome (policing trade to obtain discounts) and less similar to the British (colonies and extraction to obtain premiums). Not really similar at all to the Habsburgs or Mongols or byzantines for that matter.

This subject is worth a case by case examination, but we are mirror image of Rome in every single dimension. History does repeat itself. Although what troubles me is the second version of abrahamism (marxism, feminism, postmodernism). We failed to defend against it this time too.