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