BoomBoom Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 ...only instead of Christians this time the blame lies with the usurers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishfinger Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 ...only instead of Christians this time the blame lies with the usurers. We could throw them to the lions but the health and safety industry might not like it and you may be prosecuted by the RPSCA.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tartaglia Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I'll have to get Edward Gibbon out. I doubt the fall of America will take 500 years though. Probably less than 30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I'll have to get Edward Gibbon out. I doubt the fall of America will take 500 years though. Probably less than 30 ....minutes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blankster Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 After the USSR fell, I don't think one could say any nation-state is immortal. I think the USA will weather any coming crises and will survive more than 30 years (but I wouldn't admit that to any Americans!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Injin Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 After the USSR fell, I don't think one could say any nation-state is immortal. I think the USA will weather any coming crises and will survive more than 30 years (but I wouldn't admit that to any Americans!) I doubt it would last 30 years after the next few, or if it does it won't be in a form anyone would currently recognise. The thing about the US is that it's half devolved in any case, the move to secede is always open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tartaglia Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Britain was a much greater power than America when it was the hegemonic power and collapse took 60 years 1914 to complete bankruptcy in the mid 1970's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 The US will bounce back, it has the best adaptability in the wold. To do it will welch on its debts. Why wouldn't they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Nice Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 After the USSR fell, I don't think one could say any nation-state is immortal. I think the USA will weather any coming crises and will survive more than 30 years (but I wouldn't admit that to any Americans!) haha TOO LATE, you have been heard by American ears. any one that thinks that American states will be seceding in the near future isn't that familiar with America. we are so intertwined in our dealings that it would be like an individual county wanting to secede from England as a whole. it technically might be possible, but it isn't very likely. American influence IS likely to be pretty diminished though, especially if the currency fails. If the Euro becomes a new reserve currency, and in many respects it already HAS, then American influence which has greatly come from the dollars rule, almost has to be decreased. I think we are most likely to see 3 super powers for the rest of this century (China, EU, and America), with other current countries joining in with the big 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest anorthosite Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 The Roman Empire as its known today (Don't tell me you believed all that "fall of the Roman Empire" malarky? ) is having financial problems: Weak US dollar hits papal profits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steve Cook Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 (edited) We could throw them to the lions but the health and safety industry might not like it and you may be prosecuted by the RPSCA.. Unfortunately, the USA does not suffer with the impeccable good manners of the English. We went relatively quietly into the night at the "end of Empire". Well....more or less.... The USA, on the other hand, will I suspect go down kicking and screaming and will drag the rest of the world down with it..... Edited July 16, 2008 by Steve Cook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Nice Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Unfortunately, the USA does not suffer with the impeccable good manners of the English. We went relatively quietly into the night at the "end of Empire". Well....more or less.... The USA, on the other hand, will I suspect go down kicking and screaming and will drag the rest of the world down with it..... Britain didn't go "quietly into the night" so much as it just started hiring Americans to do the dirty work for them. Maybe America can hire the Russians this time around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tartaglia Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Britain definitely didn't go quietly, it had to be kicked out of nearly everywhere by a bunch of underresourced but highly motivated guerilla armies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steve Cook Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 (edited) Britain definitely didn't go quietly, it had to be kicked out of nearly everywhere by a bunch of underresourced but highly motivated guerilla armies Yep...you are quite right about a number of the earlier ones. However, there came a point where we began to give up the ghost in terms of direct rule and at least made a stab at leaving something worthwhile behind. Misguided paternalism tinged with more than a hint of racism? Certainly. Nontheless, I think the American political establishment has a streak of sheer visceral ruthlessness that was less evident in the latter days of the British Empire. Edited July 16, 2008 by Steve Cook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crash2006 Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Britain lost its power because of the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steve Cook Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Britain lost its power because of the US. yep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crash2006 Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 After the USSR fell, I don't think one could say any nation-state is immortal. I think the USA will weather any coming crises and will survive more than 30 years (but I wouldn't admit that to any Americans!) russia has a lot of power and growing, its economy is rich and has the US debt in its plam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Too big, too many wars, too costly to keep the borders safe resulted in massive taxes which resulted in a massive slave bubble by the plebian classes... which actually resulted in them being so poor and so taxed that Roman citizens began to sell themselves into servitude... which took away an entire layer of Roman Society, made being a Roman no longer special and hence brougth about the collapse of Roman. Of course, it is more complicated than that but that is the 10 second version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Injin Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Too big, too many wars, too costly to keep the borders safe resulted in massive taxes which resulted in a massive slave bubble by the plebian classes... which actually resulted in them being so poor and so taxed that Roman citizens began to sell themselves into servitude... which took away an entire layer of Roman Society, made being a Roman no longer special and hence brougth about the collapse of Roman.Of course, it is more complicated than that but that is the 10 second version. Most empires collapse the same way. Over-taxation of the bottom rung, taking what has taken centuries to build for granted and fiscal corruption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crash2006 Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 (edited) yep Steve its really shocking that most people dont really know how the uk lost its power, Suez Crisis is one the british were ordered out by the US, and they were threaten with the use of force, a nuke attack in birmingham( this was the rumour and a few select history books that can only be found at some universities) and take down or economy. The US started the whole problem knowing that the Eygptians would respond against the Brits, so dont think the US is our friend. Edited July 16, 2008 by crash2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pindar Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 After the USSR fell, I don't think one could say any nation-state is immortal. I think the USA will weather any coming crises and will survive more than 30 years (but I wouldn't admit that to any Americans!) Except the USSR was never a nation state. It was an illegitimate union held together by coercion and brutality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Injin Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Except the USSR was never a nation state. It was an illegitimate union held together by coercion and brutality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downtraded Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Classic - I bet Poland had as many laughs as you Injin when the tanks rolled in. Maybe Eastern Germany did too when the wall went up and guards shot people trying to cross. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Injin Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Classic - I bet Poland had as many laughs as you Injin when the tanks rolled in.Maybe Eastern Germany did too when the wall went up and guards shot people trying to cross. I am laughing at your idea that any nation is held together by anything but violence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steve Cook Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 (edited) Steve its really shocking that most people dont really know how the uk lost its power, Suez Crisis is one the british were ordered out by the US, and they were threaten with the use of force, a nuke attack in birmingham( this was the rumour and a few select history books that can only be found at some universities) and take down or economy. The US started the whole problem knowing that the Eygptians would respond against the Brits, so dont think the US is our friend. Yep, bang regarding Suez The US was never our friend. We are like the weedy little kid who tags alongside the bully and offers to hold his coat while he pummels some poor victim. We do this in the hope that we can live off the crumbs that fall from his table. All he ends up doing is despising us for it. Sorry for mixing my metaphors, by the way.... Edited July 16, 2008 by Steve Cook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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