An essay on the fate of empires

If national greatness inevitably lasts 250 years (and I question that), the UK is in its death throes (it possibly is), which is why it's so important that it is part of a bigger group.

You might find this essay about the death of empires interesting:

www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/05/why-empires-fall-ancient-rome-putins-russia

Hi bags I'm interested in reading the essay. AFAIK, a link to a PDF is the same as any other link, so give it a try. If that doesn't work I'll send my email address.

Google found it for me ...

gknot, goodo

Yes, Google found it for me, too.

I am somewhat uncertain about what constituted a welfare state in the Roman and Persian empires, for example, but am prepared to be told.

From some perspective the so called collapse might be seen as progress

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You could write about the shift from power to enthusiasm to farce and ridicule and self-immolation and use the decline of the British Empire to Great Britain to Britain to Brexit to laughing stock as an example: why use Rome when we have something so close at home?

The British Empire imposed Georgian and Victorian values on other countries. Britain did start the industrial revolutions and needed the Empire to sell its wares, get raw materials and cheap labour. However at home most people lived poverty and a few did very well. As a nation we became complacent and sat by while the rest of the world progressed.

Britain is still one of the most inventive nations on the planet we just lack effective leadership. Learn from the rest of the world and follow the oriental ethos "Imitate, adapt and improve". Britain is certainly floundering, has not yet reached rock bottom but is capable of becoming better though never again "Top Nation".

Brexit just drags us more into the swamp of decline. Don't let the appeasers win!

History has shown that Empires never last. Modern Empires are built on trade but being too successful eventually leads to a leveling.

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www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/24/no-deal-brexit-would-shrink-uk-global-influence-say-ex-ambassadors

Leaving the European Union without a deal would vastly shrink the UK’s international influence and would represent “the biggest unilateral abandonment” of long-term British interests in modern history, a group of former ambassadors have claimed.

In a letter, signed by 25 former senior diplomats and published in the Times, they urged Boris Johnson to “signal a different approach” at this weekend’s G7 summit in Biarritz, France, and retain “close relationships with our European neighbours”.

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Another more recent book on this subject is The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500-2000 by Paul Kennedy and published in 1987.

I currently have it on order, but have yet to read it.

He argues that the strength of a Great Power can be properly measured only relative to other powers, and he provides a straightforward and persuasively argued thesis: Great Power ascendancy (over the long term or in specific conflicts) correlates strongly to available resources and economic durability; military overstretch and a concomitant relative decline are the consistent threats facing powers whose ambitions and security requirements are greater than their resource base can provide for.y was their most expensive and pressing activity", and it remains such until the power's decline. Declining countries can experience greater difficulties in balancing their preferences for guns, butter and investments.

The Wikipedia page on this book(quoted above) and his arguments make a very cogent contribution to this debate en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_Great_Powers

DD and I usually wait until the lavender has flowered, the blossoms died and the seeds formed and then we cut the stalks off and shake them over a sheet to release the seeds and then put them straight in lavender bags. No drying needed because they are already dry.

Sorry, Mispost. Not sure what happened