the disaster is right now, unfolding in front of our eyes. collapse is pure ideology.

  • hexaflexagonbear [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    People always look to Rome as the prototypical collapsing empire, but the lesson there is literally that it's a long, slow, mundane process, and even then half the empire continued on for like a millenium.

    • infuziSporg [e/em/eir]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Rome was sacked at least 3 times before it ceased to become an imperial entity, and then twice after that.

      • effervescent [they/them]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Hell, Britain is still in that process of expanding and shrinking, like a muscle that’s flexing to fight atrophy. They don’t actually expand influence anymore, but the fundamental mechanisms are still operational

      • hexaflexagonbear [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Wasn't even the first sacking post east/west divide? I think they'd arguably been pretty deep in the process of collapse at that point.

        • Mardoniush [she/her]
          ·
          3 years ago

          First one was 390BC, arguably before Rome's expansion.

          The other two were in the 400s, well after the split (which actually stabilised the Empire for a century along with other reforms) and then again twice during the Byzantine reconquest of Italy.