In the article: Decline and fall…must empires always self-destruct?, Tristram Hunt discusses the collapse of the Roman Empire and how it has continued to affect the way “new Empires” are run today.
Arguably, the Roman Empire was created out of nothing with the help of war geniuses like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. During this time Rome counted with capable armies and leaders but as Rome’s power increased, their leaders became mediocre and overconfident and the mighty Roman Empire seized to exist. Some historians have even wondered how it is that Rome took that long to crumple because at the rate that Rome was expanding, Romans should have found it difficult to keep a firm grasp on controlling their new found responsibility.
Ever since then, would-be empires like Britain and the United Stated have studied step-by-step the Roman’s strategies in order to avoid making the same mistakes because history keeps on repeating itself. Examples of this are the collapse of China’s Dynasties, the Soviet Union in Russia, Hitler’s Nazi Empire in Germany, etc. Therefore, it is no wonder that Americans should fear sharing the same fate.
Since the end of WWI and on through WWII, the United States has eased into having the strongest economy and military strength and some believe it to be the most powerful State on this Earth. It would seem that we are following in the same steps as our predecessors and this article poses the question, “What we all want to know is where we stand on the cycle: at the dawn of a millennial empire, or on the precipice of a new Dark Age?” In other words, is America just beginning to flourish into a strong empire or are we already pass that point and are we now entering our own demise. If History is indeed repeating itself, and if everything that rises must fall as well, what does the future hold for the United States of America?