A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within. The essential causes of the Roman decline lay in her people, her morals, her class struggles and failing trade, her bureaucratic despotism, her stifling taxes, and consuming wars. -- The Story of Civilization III (1944)
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Crumbling domestic infrastructure. A bored, undisciplined population, demanding ever more wasteful and outrageous entertainments. Production exported to less developed countries, who then demand a share of the productivity. Rampant inflation eroding purchasing power. Democracy devolving into a totalitarian, repressive state. Division of the population into segments of extreme wealth and poverty. Hard work and merit no longer provide social mobility. Demands by other countries for self-determination and shared wealth are interpreted as a threat to super-power control. The flow of goods and resources is ensured by faltering military campaigns. Rebellion by subject nations, as the benefits of membership in the empire disappear. Sound familiar? Watch this video and compare it to the evening news.
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“I see a very dark cloud on America's horizon, and that cloud is coming from Rome.” -- Abraham Lincoln
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