America Has Been Warned: Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

[Amp Mangum]

What can a chronicler of barbarian invasions, writing in the 18th century, explain to Americans in the 21st century?What lessons can we learn today from the fall of an ancient empire? Plenty. Many.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/11/22/America-Has-Been-Warned-Virgil

[MountainRaven]

As history has repeatedly shown: Any lessons learned about the fall of Rome (or any other historical period) and their applicability to contemporary problems will almost certainly be the wrong lessons.

[Straight Shooter]

The only "history" most Americans know today is what was on The View & its ilk yesterday.

[Honu]

sadly most people in power today feel they are gods and can do no wrong as long as they get what they want and you can't teach em or tell em anything about history cause they know it all and know they won't do those things

sadly if things don't turn around I do feel we are hosed and the US is the last stand for a true country that won't be taken over with evil

unless some how England gets a back bone and gets some other Euro countries with them to realize the muslims and what they want are a threat

and while that is just one part of the failure that could hit us of course :) its one that won't make things nice ! I can handle living in poverty or lack of conveniences even rough places I lived in Honduras ! but Honduras with the gangs well they don't seek you out you stay away etc...
where sadly if it was the radical muslims they will seek you out and we know any moderate muslims are scared rabbits and won't stand up

[Alpha Sierra]

As history has repeatedly shown: Any lessons learned about the fall of Rome (or any other historical period) and their applicability to contemporary problems will almost certainly be the wrong lessons.

Yes professor, do explain.......

[Clint]

I actually finished reading the entire "Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" earlier this year.

It is a LONG read, but fascinating and disheartening at the same time.

Usually the old emperor and half of his people would be killed or exiled whenever a new emperor assumed power.

The frequent killing never seemed to help the situation of the citizens though.

The fortune of the people was strongly tied to the whims and inclinations of the emperor, which were sometimes good and sometimes bad.

It is a story of perpetual curruption and elitism; not unlike current events.

[jpmuscle]

The only "history" most Americans know today is what was on The View & its ilk yesterday.
Bah,

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/24/5b92bea00052d9ac2c5b21137228447f.jpg

[Bulletdog]

It is a story of perpetual curruption and elitism; not unlike current events.

Wasn't our Constitution and Bill OF Rights supposed to prevent us from going down that same path...

[MountainRaven]

Yes professor, do explain.......

We learned the wrong lessons from WWI going into WWII. Learned the wrong lessons from WWII going into the Cold War. Learned the wrong lessons from Korea and Vietnam going into Iraq and Afghanistan.

We either keep making the same mistakes or start making new ones.

Hell, it wasn't that long ago that people were talking about how America's downfall was imminent because of our reliance on PMCs (fka mercenaries), like another former Italian superpower of the ancient world that has already been mentioned in this thread.

[Moose-Knuckle]

Meh, outside forces are one thing. In the end Rome opened her gates and LET THE BARBARIANS IN after first decaying from within (hey that rhymes). . . remind you anyone???

[Dead Man]

You can only wrongly predict the fall of the West so many times...

[Koshinn]

You can only wrongly predict the fall of the West so many times...

Unless it never falls.