Posted on 10/25/2018 11:24:48 PM PDT by vannrox
Someone send me the Cliff Notes :)
Very log read...
Short version of why I think the Roman Empire collapsed, uncivilized barbarians came in and crapped on the streets and left garbage everywhere, and demanded freebies from the Romans. The Romans pretty much invented indoor toilets and sewer systems, and running water for baths and pools. The unwashed masses coming in screwed it all up. Sort of what is happening now with barbarians coming in from our south.
Very LONG read...
Short version of why I think the Roman Empire collapsed, uncivilized barbarians came in and crapped on the streets and left garbage everywhere, and demanded freebies from the Romans. The Romans pretty much invented indoor toilets and sewer systems, and running water for baths and pools. The unwashed masses coming in screwed it all up. Sort of what is happening now with barbarians coming in from our south.
Rome went from a city of 2 million, to a village of about 10,000 in the 9th or 10th century.
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The “fall of the Roman Empire” was more a process than an event, and the process and its precipitating causes varied greatly depending on the venue. Indeed, in the East, the Roman Empire survived until the Muslim conquest of Byzantium in 1453. In the West, the military and political reverses that Rome suffered in the Fifth century seem to have been compounded by climate disruptions caused by volcanic eruptions.
The Roman welfare state was off the charts. A citizen of Rome had everything for free. Eventually, the freed slaves and African immigrants were the majority and had no dog in the fight. Rome bred itself out, gave away assets to foreign citizens and collapsed from demographics.
This is written everywhere else but this guy takes the long way round.
His solution to collapse is to not fight against the forces that bring change. We have a problem, we expend large amounts of resources, money to fix it. This expending of energy is what causes collapse. Rome was under pressure within and from outside. They spent a lot of money, raised taxes, formed new legions, built fortifications. All a reaction to the pressures. Collapse.
Ping
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Double ping
Bookmarking for later.
As with other societies, Rome developed a hereditary wealthy class. This class imported cheap workers (slaves) to provide them with servants and cheap labor to produce their stuff.
Meanwhile, the Roman middle class, the class from which their armies were recruited and which served to prop up Rome, disappeared or went on the dole.
Finally, they had no people willing to serve in their military out of patriotism, only for cash and benefits. And a mercenary soldier is not generally willing to take risks to get the mission accomplished.
The highest peak of civilization was in about 1800, and it was in England.
The economy was fine, even in the west until the Germans came in and devastated it. The standard of living did not really decrease in the heart of the Mediterranean until the 500's and in some places the 600s,we know this thru the archaeological remains. The borderlands including northern and eastern Gaul and Britain were affected first and the worst.
Wow....long read indeed, but worth it.
Basic statement summarized: Cause & Effect is a law of nature that cannot be broken, the collapse of our world as we know it is inevitable.
Fundamental error in author’s thinking: Written in 2011, his conclusions are based on the concept of Peak Oil, which since then has proven to be incorrect - and we look to have a century of oil left, and possibly an endless supply.
But that, in itself, does not negate his conclusion: the collapse of our world as we know it is inevitable.
As a Christian, I think: a.) it is inevitable because of man’s fallen nature, his sin nature; b.) the believer should rejoice, crying out, “COME LORD JESUS!” (regardless of what your eschatology is...), for we seek a kingdom not of this world, an eternal one, wherein righteousness dwells.... where the Lordship of Jesus Christ over all of creation is manifest and there is a new heaven and a new earth........
Bump for later
*old article ping*
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