America next Rome, China next America?

[JGotti]

All empires come to an end sooner or later, Aztecs, Egyptians, Rome, Byzantine ,etc... with yesterdays OBL threat will America be the nextof the empires to fall?


First Taiwan, 2nd Japan and now China? all these countries at one point or another decided that mass production is more important than producing high quality items, but then switched due to different reasons, i.e. hourly wage paid? will China go from a mass producer to a producer of high quality items?

[WallStGolfer31]

As much as most people make a big deal about China, it still has a longgg way to go if it wants to be considered equal with the US in terms of economics. In a generation, they will also have aprox half as many people, due the the law stipulating 1 child per 2 parents. This will only 2/3rds bigger than the US in population instead of the current 3 & 1/3rdrs bigger.

[gijoe9]

I see the light here. The Roman Empire starved to death. Well more like ate itself out of house and home. The similarities between Rome and America are stunning to say the least. The most fascinating thing to me is Rome had slaves and aristocrats and America has corporations and outsourcing. The Walmart destruction of the TV manufacturing industry in the US. The aristocrats started the slave trade and put the citizens of rome out of work. China dumping onto the US market backed by retail giants who only care about the bottom line. Watching an empire die is nothing new but it is fascinating.

Great thread hope to see this one go for awhile.

[gijoe9]

Oh yea I forgot to mention coruption in my origonal post.

[Matt Moss]

We're actually discussing this in my sociology class. Specifically how to answer the question, "What makes empires fall?"

We've been discussing a lot of theorists, but some of the prevelant themes are the degration of that society's culture. Specifically due to relativeism and nihilism. Relativism is the belief that there are no absolute truths, values and moral principles-- ie. everything is relative to the situation you're in. Nihilism is the belief that nothing is worth pursuing or committing oneself to (think Tyler Durden). Examples of Nihilism are Buddhism in India (Nirvana = nothing in Snskrit), Stoicism in Rome (the belief that it is noble to kill oneself when you cannot bear the pains of living), and Socialism in the West.

Other causes for the decline of Rome may have been low birth rate due to widely accepted homosexuality, increasing public denial of the Greek Gods religion, and a general decline in the society's cultural values.

There are other beliefs on why societies decline. Some, such as Marx, believe it to be the economic system that leads to a cultural success or decline. Max Weber believes that its the Protestant Ethic that is currently sustaining the capitialist spirit in the West.

Whatever the case, things will be interesting to watch. I wouldn't get worried about America falling just yet.

[MarkVM]

Indeed,

Of course, China has been around for some time now, as well, not necessarily as a world power, but in existence longer than America.......

One book I read basically stated that once the empire internally begins to lose its core values and such, then its collapse is inevitably soon to follow.