On the Horns of Revolutionary Change

Governments often collapse without producing genuine systemic change. Drawing parallels between ancient Greece, Rome and the modern world, this opinion examines bureaucracy, competing powers, political elites, national debt and the uncertain future of the global order.

On the Horns of Revolutionary Change
J. M. W. Turner's View of the Campo Vaccino (Forum Romanum) in Rome (1893). Public domain

Governments fail and fall frequently. Rarely however, does significant systemic change actually occur. Usually there are several competing countries struggling consecutively for control. Occasionally we have complete civilizations involved in the attempt. The strengths and weaknesses of the competing countries and their alliances determine the order of power and control internationally. The competition is never ending but the players come and go with varying residual effects on succeeding struggles.

From Ancient Greece to the Roman Model

Ancient Greece as always is our model for governmental organizations. Greece began as most all countries with the claim that their government was divinely integrated through royalty. The Hellenes then began the progression through Kings, royalty, oligarchy to democracy. The common man rose from slave to serf to citizen.

Rome is the usual western subject of reference and development because of the empires’ longevity and surviving history. Its’ cycle extended through thousands of years instead of decades as we see today.

Diocletian and the Problem of Imperial Control

The Emperor Diocletian was the creator of the feudal system that lasted 1400 years. This certainly is the epitome of stability that could not exist today. The system was a reaction to the inability to control the vast Roman Empire. Communication was the greatest problem of the day. How to quickly get word to Rome from Hadrians’ Wall was a serious difficulty. This left the option of the local lord ruled at the pleasure of the emperor who required complete fealty.

Rome had developed a huge bureaucracy that was required to control the world. It grew to be quite unwieldy as it was stuffed with mediocrities desperate for power and money. Does this sound familiar? Its’ twin developed in Constantinople at the behest of Diocletian. When Africa Province finally fell to the Visigoths, the bureaucracy in Rome was at its’ height. Unfortunately there were no citizens left to tax to feed the bureaucrats. The rats in Rome had to abandon the city and its’ population dropped to less than 25,000 for the next 1000 years.

Head of Diocletian, Getty Museum
Head of Diocletian, Getty Museum. Public domain

The United States and the Future World Order

That brings us to today. The US is teetering on insolvency but still in the only super power. Who will replace us at the top of the world order?

There is much discussion about the rise of China, but it is already dissolving into a second tier state. They cannot complete the ultimate task of government which is to feed the people. The Emperor has already decreed that food waste is restaurants and at home must end. This is not an indicator of financial or long term political stability.

Imports of all types are necessary for its’ survival. Without money through trade from the US and EU, they will continue to cycle downward with the usual civil wars and governmental breakdowns. This equation does not even include the population shrinking rapidly or the usual border wars with neighbors.

Russia is insignificant economically and is really only a source of mines and foodstuffs. Its’ global reach is fading rapidly as is shown by its’ inability to defeat the ex-Soviet province of Ukraine without assistance.

Britain and the EU are quickly descending into muzlim colonies. This indicates that purchasing politicians has not changed since Alcibiades. The rest of the globe is too divided to be of any significance.

Global Elites and the Return of Competing States

The enemy within consists of a global self-appointed elite that owes its’ existence to our world system of corporate imperialism and dominance operated by the United States for the past 100 years. The globalists are on the verge of success. But their ignorance of the situation they have constructed is amazing. What government steps up if the US is self-reduced to a regional power? Will we return to a Hellenic model of states with varying alliances and governmental systems? Sparta, Athens, Thebes and Epidarus were in competition using different governmental systems for centuries. That certainly is not a recipe for stability.

Monetary control and the power it encompasses is always is always the basis of bureaucratic existence. If our financial-political system reaches an endpoint, government of various types are waiting in the wings.

Πνύκα (Pnyx) in Athens, Greece
Πνύκα (Pnyx) in Athens, Greece. Credits: Rakoon, CC BY-SA 2.0

Bureaucracy, Lawyers and Political Control

The current US system has devolved into rule by the legal/bureaucrat industry. As always the end goal is control by a few. Everyone knows who is the best student in the law class, they work in top tier law firms. Then we have the barely functional lawyers that write wills and defend drunk driving arrests on an independent basis. Politicians are mostly these third tier lawyers. These people are quite aware of their station in the system. They gravitate to the political scene hoping for new clients or possibly even election or appointment to a small government post with a guaranteed income.

These are the people who rule our country. This is the basis of their lack of morality. They do not let their personal morals (if any) intrude on their paycheck. This easily continues in Washington as they can rationalize that they are representing someone else’s views not their own. Unfortunately they do not represent your views, only the big check crowd from anywhere. This weakness of our system is quite evident. It is the mirror image of the Roman republic.

Debt, Political Conflict and a Modern Sulla

As the chancellor of Germany recently admitted, they cannot continue in this manner of socialism and militarism as they will have no money to survive. At 34 trillion dollars of debt, we have passed our limits as well.

Hatred of lack of complete control of our current system is unbounded by the marginalized intellectual elite. They receive and spend billions in their plans to rule the world. Trump is our Sulla at the Colline Gate trying to repel the traitors. They will stop at nothing to eliminate him and support for his progress.

This article uses the following tags:

Opinion, roman empire, Diocletian, republic, Sulla, Greek, visigoths

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