Do comparisons of the US to the ancient Roman Empire have validity ?

[steve2470]

I've seen them for a long time. I really don't know the answer to this question, since I'm not well-versed enough in either US or Roman history. Thanks.

[geek tragedy]

1. Depends on the nature of the comparison. nt

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

4. True.

Rome displayed external military power in its vassal countries/regions: Egypt, Israel, Europe, Greece, etc. The US does a similar thing in that way.

All empires have similarities and differences.

[randome]

2. Only in the bookwormish minds of historians does history repeat itself so much.

21st century compared to the 7th? I'd say a few things have changed in that span.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[Fumesucker]

3. The thing that hasn't changed is human nature and cunning

That's the part you can take to the bank.

[randome]

12. The rise of true consciousness, or whatever it is we have now, has changed in 2000 years.

Julian Jaynes' 'The Origin Of Consciousness In The Breakdown Of The Bicameral Mind' lays out the foundation for how we may be a new species compared to what existed 2000 years ago.

Those biological changes may have had as much to do with the fall of Rome as anything, as societies began to incorporate them into how they conducted themselves. Began, in effect, to think for themselves. It may have taken a few centuries for those effects to have become widespread.

But we do, as you pointed out, retain vestiges of what came before.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[snooper2]

5. No...

It's just a meme for folks who aren't real bright to back up their claims that the U.S. is an "empire" and "empires" always go down. That way in their mind they aren't wasting time online fighting the man. They are fighting an EMPIRE and with the belief that all empires collapse they can justify their time that they will be on the righteous side of history.

[Spider Jerusalem]

6. Possibly

Rome was first an insignificant city-state, then a regional power, then a world power (or near as you could get in the days before oceangoing ships); it started as a republic, then grew into an empire (all the while maintaining the pleasant fiction that the empire ruled legitimately through the institutions of the Republic), then declined, drained from the costs of defending the imperial frontiers and fighting neverending wars. But then it's ony a valid comparison insofar as most empires follow a similar trajectory.

[dipsydoodle]

7. Not really.

The Romans didn't have the scam known as the petrodollar the demise of which will be the death knell of the USA.

[demwing]

8. What type of comparisons?

Military? Political? Social? Economic? Religious? What type?

[steve2470]

9. The one I'm thinking of is the power comparison

Roman Empire = very powerful at its height
USA = very powerful

I'm not saying the USA is an empire. I guess military and political are the ones that come to mind first.

[AngryAmish]

10. Well, the Founding Fathers thought so

The US Constitution kinda aped the Roman Republic set-up of government but with changes that sought to make the system more stable. Since the Roman Republic fell there have been debates about why it fell. Was it the Marion Reforms? A Gibbean moral failing?
Lack of democracy?

IMO, the Republic fell because the common man had little voice in government. In the US we tried to eliminate that by having the House of Representatives. But wisely, imo, popular sentiment gets carried away. That is why the Senate exists (and was supposed to be elected by the states). The President is given executive power (like a Consul and who ever thought having two Consuls was a good idea) plus can be given military power like a Dictator (and Congress has to vote on this). The current power of the Supreme Court is a historical aberration, uncontemplated by the FOunders but imo a useful, anti-democratic institution.

Are we an Empire? Yes but our hand is mostly light (no tax farming, for example).

[oldhippie]

11. Some do .....

Some don't.

Sometimes I scare myself with my brilliance.

[randome]

13. When a forecaster says there is a 90% chance of rain...

...it still means it might rain and it might not.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[oldhippie]

14. Yep. That goes right along with .....

Given a 50-50 chance, 90% of the time you will guess wrong.

[KurtNYC]

15. They had better food

The UK and the US are modeled on the Roman Empire and highlight their ties to it. Our capital buildings feature Roman columns (but, in fairness, the White House is Greek Revival).

The Romans got good at assimilating other cultures into theirs by making conquered people want to be Roman. This allowed them over time to substitute their cultural dominance in place of their military dominance. The Roman Catholic Church is the Roman Empire today -- it assimilates millions through a shared belief system and under one god-head figure. The US of 2013 has not done as well in that department. In 1963, many people wanted to be American but not so much today. We don't pimp the "hearts and minds" angle these days. There was a belief going into Iraq, that western TV would seduce the Iraqis so it is not like that angle isn't in the mix, we just aren't doing it as effectively as the Catholic Church has done over the last 1000 years or so.

Usually when I hear a comparison to the Roman Empire it is part of a "we are going down because we have gotten decadent and lazy like the Roman Empire." But for better or worse, we aren't anywhere near the decadence of the Roman Empire -- we have ONE Super Bowl per year and we eat Dominos, chicken wings and nachos. The Romans would have the equivalent of at least one Super Bowl per week and would be drinking wine instead of beer, have some type of blood sport before, during and/or after the games, and would eat roast lamb, olives, artichokes, roast pork, breads and vegs until they puke then wash up and go have sex with ten people.

The Romans had SEVEN vestal virgins and dozens of Gods. We have one of each, well three Gods if you count Father, Son and Holy Ghost but definitely only one virgin. They had religious holidays constantly. We have about three per year. So even their religion was more decadent than ours.

[MisterP]

16. naw--they fought a lot of defensive wars