The decline and fall of the Roman empire was something that took place over the course of centuries, involved events largely out of the control of individuals and affected very large areas and very diverse and different cultures.
I simply may not know enough about it, but I wouldn’t call it “stupid”. It’s just not a word that I can see applying here. It wasn’t a historical event, more like some kind of plate tectonics process.
With how fast we are able to communicate, I’d say it’s likely to happen faster this time around. When the emperor does something that fucks over the populace, they can hear about it within minutes. During Roman times it could have taken months.
I agree with your conceptualization of the process, but if there was a single underlying theme of the entire process besides ‘decadence’, it would likely be ‘stupidity’. At least on a collective scale.
The decline and fall of the Roman empire was something that took place over the course of centuries, involved events largely out of the control of individuals and affected very large areas and very diverse and different cultures.
I simply may not know enough about it, but I wouldn’t call it “stupid”. It’s just not a word that I can see applying here. It wasn’t a historical event, more like some kind of plate tectonics process.
history happens slowly then suddenly.
the political class of the western empire had been pulling itself apart for centuries.
With how fast we are able to communicate, I’d say it’s likely to happen faster this time around. When the emperor does something that fucks over the populace, they can hear about it within minutes. During Roman times it could have taken months.
i agree, but its peaks and valleys i suppose. the fall of US empire is still in the ‘slow’ stage i suspect.
That’s how it always goes when the decadence sinks in.
I agree with your conceptualization of the process, but if there was a single underlying theme of the entire process besides ‘decadence’, it would likely be ‘stupidity’. At least on a collective scale.