IPFS News Link • Cost of Empire
The Phases of an Empire
• lewrockwell.com/David RedickThe analysis below explains why all empires and "Imperial Style" governments have failed throughout history, and why our Empire-USA faces the same fate. The only question is whether the people and government of the USA have the wisdom and will to engage in a "Managed Decline" by terminating the empire and imperial conduct on their own schedule, rather than by chaotic crash of the US Dollar, economy, and lifestyle. Take notice of the "Solutions" section in Part C below.
Part A: Key Points
An Empire is a nation that: 1) Owns colonies, and/or 2) Controls, or has great influence over, other nations. Empires require economic and military strength to start and maintain, and this is expensive.
All Empires fail, and for the same reasons: 1) Expense of military abroad, and subsidies at home. 2) Decline in domestic productivity (spoiled, parasitic citizens). 3) Corruption (illegal conduct) and decadence (unethical and immoral conduct) by leaders and citizens.
Part B: Events/Symptoms in each Phase
Phase 1 – Growth
Land: Gain territory by "discovery" (too bad for the natives), or conquest.
Strength: Start growth of economic and military strength. Sound currency (precious metal, or convertible paper and convertible base-metal coins).
Government: Local and central government acts as a servant to protect the rights of citizens. No entangling alliances with other nations. New land is governed as a colony or part of homeland nation (becoming a sovereign republic may require a revolution). The army consists of volunteers protecting their homes and families, with no professional or standing army.
Ethics: Most government people and citizens are hard working and honest. Government is a servant.
Phase 2 – Maturation
Land: Add contiguous land, or remote colonies, by conquest or negotiation.
Strength: Become a world leader in both economic and military strength. Homeland receives cheap imports from colonies. Currency is debased to allow more government spending, without raising taxes.
Government: Grows stronger, more corrupt, and acts as boss, manager, nanny, owner, etc. Elected officials will do almost anything to retain their jobs. Power is used to manage other nations to impose/protect the Empire's interests. The central government increases control (superiority) over local (city and state) functions, often based on its power to create money to fund local projects. A standing army is created and consists of mostly conscripts, and professional careerists. Wars become more oriented to building and defending the Empire.
Ethics: Corruption and decadence grow due to decline in personal responsibility caused by nanny state.
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4 Comments in Response to The Phases of an Empire
"Empire - USA" will likely succeed...Given the gutless, entitlement menatlity of the mass of U.S. citizens, this is the perfect time for the wannabe dictator(s) to subvert the Constitution - been underway for 100 years or more - turn the USA into the largest bannan republic in world history; they've almost pulled it off, even as we speak. (Who's going to stop them? You?)
This country has been the cornerstone of world domination, since the turn of the century (20th century). We've been sold out by so many people, so many times, in so many ways that it's become our primaru national characteristic. We've crapped on our real allies and backed-up our enemies so often that we're lucky we haven't been turned into the largest socio/economic/political trash heap in human history - we are about two election cycles away from that fate.
In a functional democratic republic, with a massive and developed natural resource base, an educated and intelligent population (all evidence to the contrary), and the potential to provide for and promote increasing social and economic opportunities for all citizens - particularly children, it's seemingly impossible that we could find ourselves in a dictatorial police state, heded for the trashheap of history and the total enslavement of the greatest nation in human history.
For those who are interested in accountability, look to the second-rate losers who have passed themselves off as patriootic champions of freedom and individuality, in service to the principles espoused in the Constitiution of the United States. Then, look to the mental midgets who voted them into office, and sold all of us out for the ever-famous American standards of the "easy out" and the "quick fix". those who might like to place blame, look straight at the long, long list of traitors who have colled themselves Congress(wo)men. I'd say that we did this to ourselves, but I know too many people who had nothing to do with it to even allude to "WE". "WE" didn't do any of this! YOU did it! And, you know who you are...politician or not. (Many are dead. However, at last count, it appears that there aren't nearly enough.)
I've been told that these are interesting times - bullshit! This is the end of civilization! You might think you are going to look back and say that you witnessed it all...If you live so long, you'll likely be saying it to your cellmate in a gulag somewhere in the Dakotas, overlooking the mass graves of your friends and family - children.
Enjoy...
I would not recommend that the writer of this article should have a lobotomy to correct his view of the United States of America. That will be sweeping away dirt in a public auditorium with a dirty broom. The author is no different from the angry one named Larken Rose who declared that if the Government-enslaved American people shoot all cops dead, the "Evil U.S. Empire" will collapse. He has a strong support in this website, which means he is okay, is he not?.
JV, you remind FP.com readers of a loony published in this website who said that with the world’s population exploding, life on the planet will disappear! He became his own expert on this subject by riding bicycle, similar to Dr. Ron Paul who became his own economic expert by studying Medicine!
2012 global banking collapse? BALONEY! Spare yourself from reading this crap as you read it more in those radical websites. You may start from here.
By the way, only the weak collapse.
On the contrary, this powerful nation will even grow larger and stronger to become what it is destined to be – the WEALTHIEST, the STRONGEST, the MIGHTIEST on the planet!
This greatest nation on earth is the ALPHA-OMEGA of the Modern Human Universe [from my book about to be published].
That’s even when Obama wins his second term in office [generally said] or especially when he is booted out of office and another nation-builder takes over [preferably predicted].
Don’t forget who said it first …"Disband the Empire!" – Osama bin Laden.
In order to share the limelight of bin Laden’s notoriety, local copycats are aping America’s No. 1 enemy in this War on Terror! In their protest campaign, their anti-Government sanctuary is peripheral -- online Alternative Media.