Due to various changes, some having to do with farm technology and transport, a much smaller portion of the population was needed for food production and distribution. A particular farmer could easily end up with a small farm without the resources to support a multi-generational home. His kids would need to find their own way.
This excess labor force was not qualified artisans, but unqualified general laborers who could be taught to operate machinery or do other production work. They could move to industrial areas, so countries tended to urbanize rapidly during this industrial revolution.
Farmers tend to have an economic need for children. Industrial laborers usually have little short-term need for children, particularly if children are kept out of money-earning work through new child labor laws. This lack of a strong economic reason to have children has helped to drop birth rates dramatically. Ancient Rome suffered a similar fate as its population urbanized, even though it did not industrialize in the same way as modern nations.
At first, the industrializing and industrialized countries ended up with major advantages over their neighbors:
a. Longer living and healthier populations (due to improved medical and other conditions, such as sanitation) also helped to create larger productive populations
b. The more efficient food production and distribution left plenty of excess labor to drive the economy which brought in more funds for the government, which could and partly was spent upon creating powerful and efficient military forces.
The countries then, during the colonial period, found it relatively easy to dominate the world, and easy to believe themselves superior.
The rise of Asian countries such as Japan in the very early 20th century showed that the superiority of the industrialized world was more a matter of having an orderly and industrious population and a willingness to follow the industrialization plan. Japan easily had all of that and more (for example, Japan also began with a very high literacy rate).
China in particular is now following this model.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Rome has Fallen - cycles and population
Rome had some good features, but it really was a Beast.
Julius Ceasar should be famous for following and maintaining the traditional way that men change high political leaders - through brute force. After Ceasar, one man after another lusted for the imperial throne, and countless soldiers and civilians died in the internal power struggles to destroy and create Ceasers. We speak of a Pax Romana, but was it not a Pox Romana instead?
Rome came to be an example of the cyclic rise and fall of civilization. Superstious tribes multiply and gain power. Implement useful reforms. Productivity rises. Trade and civilization spread. Scepticism, agnosticism, hedonism and tyrrany spread. Tyrants need to keep the people in check, so they offer them bread and circuses, but ultimately rule by the sword and they fail to keep the peace, so the country is bankrupted financially. Meanwhile, the hardy people who used to multiply like rabbits stop multiplying (just like Europe, Japan, and the USA did). With prosperity, urbanization and spiritual confusion, people aren't as interested in reproduction and children become less of an economic benefit. Without enough people, other nations grow in power to eclipse the glory that was Rome. The Germans were one of the main culprits. Rome would live on in The Byzantine Empire for a very long time, but they, too, suffered from this cycle, and others would eclipse Constantinople (the capitol) almost a millennium later.
Please do not neglect the critical component of a high population for a nation to be a mover and a shaker. The ancient Jews, who influenced the world as much as anyone, were famous for multiplying faster than those around them. Pharaoh was wise to see the power in this, but he treated it as a threat and so ended up losing a great asset.
Europe's population exploded for some centuries, and it was their very high population combined with their capitalism which caused them to rule the world so easily for a time (colonialism was often a sick and cruel system, but they had the power to make this mistake because of their people and wealth).
Japan (and now China) exploded on the scene in part because of their high and organized populations.
The USA obviously can credit a great deal of its dominance of the 20th century because it multiplied greatly and welcomed immigrants for so long.
But high population without organization can be a burden. Sub-saharan Africa remains the example, but the people are equal to the challenge and will overcome some harmful history (colonialism and strong-man leaders who are unable or unwilling to lead their countries to prosperity), or so I believe.
Charles Saline
Julius Ceasar should be famous for following and maintaining the traditional way that men change high political leaders - through brute force. After Ceasar, one man after another lusted for the imperial throne, and countless soldiers and civilians died in the internal power struggles to destroy and create Ceasers. We speak of a Pax Romana, but was it not a Pox Romana instead?
Rome came to be an example of the cyclic rise and fall of civilization. Superstious tribes multiply and gain power. Implement useful reforms. Productivity rises. Trade and civilization spread. Scepticism, agnosticism, hedonism and tyrrany spread. Tyrants need to keep the people in check, so they offer them bread and circuses, but ultimately rule by the sword and they fail to keep the peace, so the country is bankrupted financially. Meanwhile, the hardy people who used to multiply like rabbits stop multiplying (just like Europe, Japan, and the USA did). With prosperity, urbanization and spiritual confusion, people aren't as interested in reproduction and children become less of an economic benefit. Without enough people, other nations grow in power to eclipse the glory that was Rome. The Germans were one of the main culprits. Rome would live on in The Byzantine Empire for a very long time, but they, too, suffered from this cycle, and others would eclipse Constantinople (the capitol) almost a millennium later.
Please do not neglect the critical component of a high population for a nation to be a mover and a shaker. The ancient Jews, who influenced the world as much as anyone, were famous for multiplying faster than those around them. Pharaoh was wise to see the power in this, but he treated it as a threat and so ended up losing a great asset.
Europe's population exploded for some centuries, and it was their very high population combined with their capitalism which caused them to rule the world so easily for a time (colonialism was often a sick and cruel system, but they had the power to make this mistake because of their people and wealth).
Japan (and now China) exploded on the scene in part because of their high and organized populations.
The USA obviously can credit a great deal of its dominance of the 20th century because it multiplied greatly and welcomed immigrants for so long.
But high population without organization can be a burden. Sub-saharan Africa remains the example, but the people are equal to the challenge and will overcome some harmful history (colonialism and strong-man leaders who are unable or unwilling to lead their countries to prosperity), or so I believe.
Charles Saline
The Best News so far
Jesus was born King of Kings.
I do not follow Jesus. I am not a Christian.
But He entered a world of hate and He and his followers taught the world how to love and have mercy like no one else before.
Jesus is the Master of Mercy.
Remember the woman who committed adultery? Adultery is the ultimate sex crime. You've made a contract with another to keep faithful. You sleep with another, thereby damaging the spiritual bond between you and your spouse, creating a serious and threatening bond with another party, risking creating a child who may well end up with no father at all, risking catching a verereal disease and giving it to your partner, and causing so much heartache for your spouse that your spouse may never recover.
Jesus said to go and sin no more. He didn't try to find reasons to stone her.
Jesus is the Master at explaining mercy so it makes sense. Anyone can argue against mercy:
"Have mercy on bad people and they will get you and get others."
"Bad people must be punished, that is the only language they understand."
"We must make an example of you."
"You hurt me, so I'm going to hurt you."
Jesus argued for forgiveness, overcoming with love, turning the other cheek, loving not just those who love you but those who do not, blessing those who curse you, and so forth.
If you have never read what his messengers wrote about Him, why not? It is the greatest defense of love and mercy ever written. It overcomes all objections.
I studied His words in depth, but I have not love. I didn't say that studying the reasons to love would change your heart, did I?
Charles Saline
I do not follow Jesus. I am not a Christian.
But He entered a world of hate and He and his followers taught the world how to love and have mercy like no one else before.
Jesus is the Master of Mercy.
Remember the woman who committed adultery? Adultery is the ultimate sex crime. You've made a contract with another to keep faithful. You sleep with another, thereby damaging the spiritual bond between you and your spouse, creating a serious and threatening bond with another party, risking creating a child who may well end up with no father at all, risking catching a verereal disease and giving it to your partner, and causing so much heartache for your spouse that your spouse may never recover.
Jesus said to go and sin no more. He didn't try to find reasons to stone her.
Jesus is the Master at explaining mercy so it makes sense. Anyone can argue against mercy:
"Have mercy on bad people and they will get you and get others."
"Bad people must be punished, that is the only language they understand."
"We must make an example of you."
"You hurt me, so I'm going to hurt you."
Jesus argued for forgiveness, overcoming with love, turning the other cheek, loving not just those who love you but those who do not, blessing those who curse you, and so forth.
If you have never read what his messengers wrote about Him, why not? It is the greatest defense of love and mercy ever written. It overcomes all objections.
I studied His words in depth, but I have not love. I didn't say that studying the reasons to love would change your heart, did I?
Charles Saline
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