The End of Empires

Thank you, It is one of the reasons why i picked it , my freind.

In regards to ludricous statements, all this is true. Tell me a bit of your arguement against it then before implying its a load of cobblers.

 

Empires go into gradual decline....and fall from a collective series of events, rather than just one confrontation.

It took Alexander many years of campaigning and no less than two great confrontations, (Issus and Gaugamela) before Darius' own people delivered his corpse to the Greeks....

I was under the impression that BIBRACTE cost the Boediccan rebellion a victory for the Celts, mainly due to overcrowding of the bloodthirsty camp-followers looking in on the battle they were sure they could win with ease.

Zama was merely the end product of a series of declining fortunes for the Carthaginians. And Carthage was not an Empire builder in the classic sense. She had a trading relationship, but few real allies that were willing to contribute anything over and above the call of duty. The recruits for Hannibal Barca were few and far between, compared to the many legions that Rome managed to raise in the Second Punic War.

The Roman Empire died a miserable death of a thousand cuts, and gradually bled to death. The average Roman citizen of the period couldn't have cared less, as service in the legions became more and more unpopular. Emphasis on foriegn auxilliaries was the staple of legion recruitment for centuries.

Masada was a last gasp for a defeated people. Only 900 fighters were present, many of them from the Zealot faction of Zionism(Remember that Jewish factionalism prevented them combining their forces for defense of the siege. Factions fought eachother as well as the Romans! This aspect is beautifully lampooned in "Monty Python's "Life of Brian"). The Jews had already been defeated decisively by that time, with the Flavian dynasty cemented by Titus by the very success of the Siege of Jerusalum. The Jewish captives not only built the Flavian Ampitheatre for Titus, they provided many of it's first victims for the resulting celebrations. And the Flavian ampitheatre became the most important element in Titus's rule of the people...

French Empire was up and running, but English money and fear of the common man by the ruling monarchies prevented France from establishing anything that lasted beyond the Battle of Borodino...and Leipzig.

Russian empire died from underestimating the effect of their out of control military budget.

The British Empire was dismantled by the current serving monarch, (Elizabeth II), something she and her sucessors can be quite proud of. (It has probably preserved the Royal Family as a national entity, saved as it was by the conduct of Elizabeth's mother and Father during World War Two). Source of great pride to all in Britain.

The "Pax Americana" is still going.....You can't complain about the consequences of the American Century....they produced the modern world as we know it, and their competitors went one better with some fierce economic competition. I hope that America can reclaim what it once had in the way of good will. Better with than against....and who can ignore American sub-culture? Rightful global policeman, with the U.N. a paper tiger just like the League of Nations, somebody has to fill the void.

 

Yep, I can think of one former colony

 

And so can i, which is why i said some.

 

actually never mind, this is rather silly

 

So youve changed your mind? I was right afterall.

 

er, no .....i was referring to the conversation .....which is why i am now leaving

 

Before you edited it you said something like saying that the colonies have gotten worst is a ludricous statement in itself and i was replying to that...