Why America Is Not a New Rome

Why America Is Not a New Rome
Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
Total Pages : 239
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780262288293
ISBN-13 : 026228829X
Rating : 4/5 (29X Downloads)

Book Synopsis Why America Is Not a New Rome by : Vaclav Smil

Download or read book Why America Is Not a New Rome written by Vaclav Smil and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2010-01-29 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An investigation of the America-Rome analogy that goes deeper than the facile comparisons made on talk shows and in glossy magazine articles. America's post–Cold War strategic dominance and its pre-recession affluence inspired pundits to make celebratory comparisons to ancient Rome at its most powerful. Now, with America no longer perceived as invulnerable, engaged in protracted fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and suffering the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, comparisons are to the bloated, decadent, ineffectual later Empire. In Why America Is Not a New Rome, Vaclav Smil looks at these comparisons in detail, going deeper than the facile analogy-making of talk shows and glossy magazine articles. He finds profound differences. Smil, a scientist and a lifelong student of Roman history, focuses on several fundamental concerns: the very meaning of empire; the actual extent and nature of Roman and American power; the role of knowledge and innovation; and demographic and economic basics—population dynamics, illness, death, wealth, and misery. America is not a latter-day Rome, Smil finds, and we need to understand this in order to look ahead without the burden of counterproductive analogies. Superficial similarities do not imply long-term political, demographic, or economic outcomes identical to Rome's.


Why America Is Not a New Rome Related Books

Why America Is Not a New Rome
Language: en
Pages: 239
Authors: Vaclav Smil
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2010-01-29 - Publisher: MIT Press

GET EBOOK

An investigation of the America-Rome analogy that goes deeper than the facile comparisons made on talk shows and in glossy magazine articles. America's post–C
Are We Rome?
Language: en
Pages: 272
Authors: Cullen Murphy
Categories: Political Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2008-05-05 - Publisher: HMH

GET EBOOK

What went wrong in imperial Rome, and how we can avoid it: “If you want to understand where America stands in the world today, read this.” —Thomas E. Rick
Byzantium
Language: en
Pages: 334
Authors: Cyril A. Mango
Categories: Byzantine Empire
Type: BOOK - Published: 1980 - Publisher:

GET EBOOK

The New Roman Empire
Language: en
Pages: 1169
Authors: Anthony Kaldellis
Categories: Byzantine Empire
Type: BOOK - Published: 2024 - Publisher: Oxford University Press

GET EBOOK

"This is the first comprehensive, single-author history of the eastern Roman empire (or Byzantium) to appear in over a generation. It begins with the foundation
The Tragedy of Empire
Language: en
Pages: 441
Authors: Michael Kulikowski
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2019-11-19 - Publisher: Harvard University Press

GET EBOOK

A sweeping political history of the turbulent two centuries that led to the demise of the Roman Empire. The Tragedy of Empire begins in the late fourth century