Twilight America = Late Roman Empire?

[Littlearmies]

One of the best recent books on the period is Peter Heather's "Fall of the Roman Empire" - I'd highly recommend this book. Reading it made it clear that the fall was one of those periods in history where a cock-up or two ruined the last throw of the dice and that it could have turned it very differently.

[Adm.Lee]

I just started O'Donnell's "Ruin of the Roman empire" on more or less the same subject.

Here's a line that made me think of Twilight:2000. "When the great civilians were dispossessed or disappeared, leaving only military men wealthy enough to own land, as began to happen in Italy after the awful wars of the mid-sixth century, we can see the beginnings of feudalism." (p.33)

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by Littlearmies

One of the best recent books on the period is Peter Heather's "Fall of the Roman Empire" - I'd highly recommend this book. Reading it made it clear that the fall was one of those periods in history where a cock-up or two ruined the last throw of the dice and that it could have turned it very differently.

I always believed that a multitude of factors brought it down - mainly poor economic managment and lack of assimilation of the conquered barbarians..

Tell me more please .

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by headquarters

I always believed that a multitude of factors brought it down - mainly poor economic managment and lack of assimilation of the conquered barbarians..

Tell me more please .

I'm not very knowledgeable about it but I would say that your poor economic management is right. Then, you add taxes and hard laws. A tiny bit of pressure from outsides help.

However, the lack of assimilation of the conquered barbarians is false or so i think. The last western roman emperors were of barbarian d'escent. Most governors in the west were also from barbarian descent. A good proportion of the Legions (auxiliaries) had always been composed of barbarians but toward the end that proportion had increased and they were found in the core of these legions. Those who were to reign over the early medieval europe were roman administrators, mostly of barbarian descent.

Basically, with governors such as Schwarzeneger, US is taking a risk.