In the two hundred years since the American Revolution was fought and won, our country has gone from a band of rebellious colonial upstarts that defeated British rule in 1781 to becoming the world’s last remaining Superpower by the 1990’s. As remarkable as that story is it will pale in comparison to the story of our current race to commit national suicide. While the Progressives began their assault on the Constitution over a hundred years ago, the decline of America really began to accelerate twenty years ago and we are now challenged with making the decisions that will either restore America to sanity and prosperity or will complete the destruction. The day of reckoning is here and we can no longer delay the choices. The big question is what choice will we make?
One would think we would turn to history for some insights. After all, history is replete with examples of other societies and civilizations that were faced with similar challenges. Most chose poorly and as a result, we now study the ruins they left behind; examining the documented history of how their choices collapsed their society. One perfect example is the Roman Empire.
The Roman Empire had its roots in a small agricultural community on the Italian peninsula. The legends claim that twin brothers, descended from a Trojan Prince, founded the City of Rome in 753 BC. The brothers, Romulus and Remus were purportedly conceived when Mars, the God of war, raped a vestal virgin named Rea Silvia who gave birth to the twins. Because Romulus and Remus were fathered by the God of war, they were considered half divine. As the story goes, their Grandfather and King of Alba Longa, Numitor, was deposed by his rival Amulius. Fearing the twins would recapture the throne, Amulius ordered them drown. A she-wolf would save the boys from death and raise them. Once grown, Romulus and Remus returned to Alba Longa and restored Numitor to the throne before departing to found their own city. In a dispute over who would rule the new city, Romulus killed his brother and assumed the crown. Now that his throne was secured, the City would be named Rome in honor of its king, Romulus.
For the following two hundred and fifty years, Rome would prosper as a Monarchy led by seven successive Kings. Just as the American colonists revolted against the British crown, Rome revolted against King Lucius Tarquinius Superbus in 509 BC. Superbus was noted in history as a tyrannical dictator but revulsion turned into open revolution after Superbus’s son, Sextus Tarquinius, raped Lucretia, who was an important noblewoman in the Kingdom. The people of Rome succeeded in their revolt and deposed the tyrannical King, replacing the Monarchy with an Oligarchic Republic.
The Roman Republic was a system based on annually elected magistrates and various representative assemblies was established. A constitution set a series of checks and balances, and a separation of powers. The most important magistrates were the two consuls, who together exercised executive authority through the imperium, or military command. The consuls had to work with the senate, which was initially an advisory council of the ranking nobility, or patricians, but grew in size and power over time. While there are many differences between the Roman Republic and America, there are also a number of parallels, particularly in the forces that worked against the Republic.
See if this sounds familiar? Violent gangs of the urban unemployed, controlled by rival Senators, intimidated the electorate through violence. The situation came to a head in the late 2nd century BC under the Gracchi brothers, a pair of tribunes who attempted to pass land reform legislation that would redistribute the major patrician landholdings among the plebeians or working class. Both brothers were killed, but the Senate passed some of their reforms in an attempt to placate the growing unrest of the plebeian and equestrian classes.
Curiously, that sounds like our own radical fringe that would eventually become today’s “Community Organizers”. Rome’s community organizers also had their sympathetic Senators that brought about reforms to redistribute Roman wealth with land instead of cash. Just as today, the sympathetic Roman Senators forced the rest of the Senate to pass some of these reforms just to prevent civil unrest. It almost sounds as if the Gracchi brothers were the ancient equivalent of Cloward and Pivens that proposed the poor work to overwhelm the system and punctuate those efforts with threats of violence in order to bring about social justice. Rome’s sympathetic Senators could quite easily be paralleled with today’s Progressives in Congress on their quest for redistributive policies.
To continue; the Republic grew through a series of wars, allowing Rome to occupy much of the Italian peninsula. Of course with growth comes power and with power comes corruption. In the mid-1st century BC, three men, Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus, formed a secret pact—the First Triumvirate—to control the Republic. After Caesar's conquest of Gaul, a stand-off between Caesar and the Senate led to civil war, with Pompey leading the Senate's forces. Caesar emerged victorious, and was made dictator for life. While we haven’t had a dictator assume power in the United States, it is a well known fact that we came very close to just that in the early days of Franklin Roosevelt’s Presidency when there was a secret pact among the Democratic hierarchy that actually urged FDR to assume dictatorial powers to combat the depression. Fortunately, that never happened and the Constitution survived both the depression and FDR.
The Roman Republic however, would not survive. Caesar was assassinated in the 44 BC attempted Senate coup to restore Constitutional government. The aftermath created a Second Triumvirate, consisting of Caesar's designated heir, Octavian, and his former supporters, Mark Antony and Lepidus that took power. However, this alliance soon descended into a struggle for dominance. Lepidus was exiled, and when Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra of Egypt at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, he became the undisputed ruler of Rome.
Rome under the absolute rule of Octavian and his successors would become a vast Empire and eventually ruled over two and a half million square miles of the ancient world. The Empire dominated the entire Mediterranean coast including northern Africa, most of the European continent and even most of the British Isle. Of course the Roman economy was only an illusion that relied on a steady flow of loot from its wars of conquest and the taxes collected in the occupied territories. Hmm? That sounds like the illusion of our own economy. Instead of tribute collected from conquered lands our government spends borrowed money on the promise that future generations will somehow find a way to pay for the debt. The problem with economies based on conquest or credit is that they both ignore the hard work needed to sustain the spending and are therefore, both doomed to fail. Rome took all there was to take and by the time captured cash stopped pouring into Rome, the Roman people had forgotten what it meant to work for themselves and that sounds familiar too. Even more familiar are the chief causes listed for the collapse of the Roman Empire.
Antagonism between the Senate and the Emperor
Decline in Morals
Political Corruption and the Praetorian Guard
Fast expansion of the Empire
Constant Wars and Heavy Military Spending
Barbarian Knowledge of Roman Military Tactics
Failing Economy
Unemployment of the Working Classes (The Plebs)
The 'Mob' and the cost of the 'Games'
Decline in Ethics and Values
Slave Labor
Natural Disasters
Christianity
Barbarian Invasion
Tomorrow we will discuss the causes for the fall of the Roman Empire and how our society is now enganged in the modern equivalent of many of the same things.
Paul
One would think we would turn to history for some insights. After all, history is replete with examples of other societies and civilizations that were faced with similar challenges. Most chose poorly and as a result, we now study the ruins they left behind; examining the documented history of how their choices collapsed their society. One perfect example is the Roman Empire.
The Roman Empire had its roots in a small agricultural community on the Italian peninsula. The legends claim that twin brothers, descended from a Trojan Prince, founded the City of Rome in 753 BC. The brothers, Romulus and Remus were purportedly conceived when Mars, the God of war, raped a vestal virgin named Rea Silvia who gave birth to the twins. Because Romulus and Remus were fathered by the God of war, they were considered half divine. As the story goes, their Grandfather and King of Alba Longa, Numitor, was deposed by his rival Amulius. Fearing the twins would recapture the throne, Amulius ordered them drown. A she-wolf would save the boys from death and raise them. Once grown, Romulus and Remus returned to Alba Longa and restored Numitor to the throne before departing to found their own city. In a dispute over who would rule the new city, Romulus killed his brother and assumed the crown. Now that his throne was secured, the City would be named Rome in honor of its king, Romulus.
For the following two hundred and fifty years, Rome would prosper as a Monarchy led by seven successive Kings. Just as the American colonists revolted against the British crown, Rome revolted against King Lucius Tarquinius Superbus in 509 BC. Superbus was noted in history as a tyrannical dictator but revulsion turned into open revolution after Superbus’s son, Sextus Tarquinius, raped Lucretia, who was an important noblewoman in the Kingdom. The people of Rome succeeded in their revolt and deposed the tyrannical King, replacing the Monarchy with an Oligarchic Republic.
The Roman Republic was a system based on annually elected magistrates and various representative assemblies was established. A constitution set a series of checks and balances, and a separation of powers. The most important magistrates were the two consuls, who together exercised executive authority through the imperium, or military command. The consuls had to work with the senate, which was initially an advisory council of the ranking nobility, or patricians, but grew in size and power over time. While there are many differences between the Roman Republic and America, there are also a number of parallels, particularly in the forces that worked against the Republic.
See if this sounds familiar? Violent gangs of the urban unemployed, controlled by rival Senators, intimidated the electorate through violence. The situation came to a head in the late 2nd century BC under the Gracchi brothers, a pair of tribunes who attempted to pass land reform legislation that would redistribute the major patrician landholdings among the plebeians or working class. Both brothers were killed, but the Senate passed some of their reforms in an attempt to placate the growing unrest of the plebeian and equestrian classes.
Curiously, that sounds like our own radical fringe that would eventually become today’s “Community Organizers”. Rome’s community organizers also had their sympathetic Senators that brought about reforms to redistribute Roman wealth with land instead of cash. Just as today, the sympathetic Roman Senators forced the rest of the Senate to pass some of these reforms just to prevent civil unrest. It almost sounds as if the Gracchi brothers were the ancient equivalent of Cloward and Pivens that proposed the poor work to overwhelm the system and punctuate those efforts with threats of violence in order to bring about social justice. Rome’s sympathetic Senators could quite easily be paralleled with today’s Progressives in Congress on their quest for redistributive policies.
To continue; the Republic grew through a series of wars, allowing Rome to occupy much of the Italian peninsula. Of course with growth comes power and with power comes corruption. In the mid-1st century BC, three men, Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus, formed a secret pact—the First Triumvirate—to control the Republic. After Caesar's conquest of Gaul, a stand-off between Caesar and the Senate led to civil war, with Pompey leading the Senate's forces. Caesar emerged victorious, and was made dictator for life. While we haven’t had a dictator assume power in the United States, it is a well known fact that we came very close to just that in the early days of Franklin Roosevelt’s Presidency when there was a secret pact among the Democratic hierarchy that actually urged FDR to assume dictatorial powers to combat the depression. Fortunately, that never happened and the Constitution survived both the depression and FDR.
The Roman Republic however, would not survive. Caesar was assassinated in the 44 BC attempted Senate coup to restore Constitutional government. The aftermath created a Second Triumvirate, consisting of Caesar's designated heir, Octavian, and his former supporters, Mark Antony and Lepidus that took power. However, this alliance soon descended into a struggle for dominance. Lepidus was exiled, and when Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra of Egypt at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, he became the undisputed ruler of Rome.
Rome under the absolute rule of Octavian and his successors would become a vast Empire and eventually ruled over two and a half million square miles of the ancient world. The Empire dominated the entire Mediterranean coast including northern Africa, most of the European continent and even most of the British Isle. Of course the Roman economy was only an illusion that relied on a steady flow of loot from its wars of conquest and the taxes collected in the occupied territories. Hmm? That sounds like the illusion of our own economy. Instead of tribute collected from conquered lands our government spends borrowed money on the promise that future generations will somehow find a way to pay for the debt. The problem with economies based on conquest or credit is that they both ignore the hard work needed to sustain the spending and are therefore, both doomed to fail. Rome took all there was to take and by the time captured cash stopped pouring into Rome, the Roman people had forgotten what it meant to work for themselves and that sounds familiar too. Even more familiar are the chief causes listed for the collapse of the Roman Empire.
Antagonism between the Senate and the Emperor
Decline in Morals
Political Corruption and the Praetorian Guard
Fast expansion of the Empire
Constant Wars and Heavy Military Spending
Barbarian Knowledge of Roman Military Tactics
Failing Economy
Unemployment of the Working Classes (The Plebs)
The 'Mob' and the cost of the 'Games'
Decline in Ethics and Values
Slave Labor
Natural Disasters
Christianity
Barbarian Invasion
Tomorrow we will discuss the causes for the fall of the Roman Empire and how our society is now enganged in the modern equivalent of many of the same things.
Paul
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