The year 238 AD began with Maximinus I as Emperor of Rome– a former peasant who had worked his way up through the ranks of the military before being chosen as Emperor by his troops.
By August of that year, Maximinus was dead, and five other men had briefly held the title of Emperor. Only one (Gordian III) was still alive by the end of 238 AD.
This is known in Roman history as the ‘Year of the Six Emperors’, and it was an obvious watershed moment in the decline of the empire.
It’s not like Rome hadn’t seen plenty of turmoil before–
There had been full-blown civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great nearly three centuries prior in 49 BC. Caligula managed to engineer a major supply chain crisis during his reign in the early 1st century AD.
Much of the city of Rome burned to the ground under Emperor Nero in 64 AD. Caracalla heavily debased the currency and caused widespread inflation in the early 200s.
And more than a dozen emperors had been assassinated up to that point in Roman history.
People were used to crisis and chaos. But the Year of the Six Emperors felt different. It was as if Romans suddenly realized they were no longer the dominant superpower.
The next few decades, in fact, are known as the “Crisis of the Third Century”, with more than two dozen emperors seizing the throne in a power struggle, murdering their political enemies, and then being assassinated themselves.
Some emperors, like Silbannacus, Quintillus, and Saloninus, literally sat on the throne for a matter of days before being killed.
The government was extremely unstable, and notoriously corrupt. They rigged elections. They sent Praetorian guards to harass and intimidate their opponents. And they sewed social conflict so that Romans turned on one another.
In the meantime, the Roman economy was collapsing. Inflation became so rampant that Diocletian infamously had to implement extreme price controls, and then threaten to kill anyone who didn’t follow them.
They also lost control of their borders, as countless barbarian tribes poured into the empire and squatted on Roman lands.
The barbarian migration eventually turned into full-blown invasions and military conflict, and the Roman military lost a number of major battles.
In 251 AD, for example, Rome suffered a crushing defeat by the invading Goths at the Battle of Abritus. The Goths decimated three Roman legions, killed the emperor, and stole TONS of gold.
Even the lowest peasant was able to figure it out: dominant superpowers don’t lose battles.
They maintain secure borders. They have strong currencies. They don’t blow through six leaders in a single year. They aren’t in a constant state of social revolution. And they aren’t bankrupt.
We could easily apply the same logic today.
And this is especially true after last week’s watershed moment in which the US national debt reached $30 trillion for the first time.
It’s hardly controversial to assert that dominate superpowers don’t accumulate $30 trillion in debt (which, by the way, is 25% larger than the entire US economy).
But it’s not just the debt. It’s so much more.
Dominant superpowers don’t surrender tens of billions of dollars of military equipment to their sworn enemy, and then fly away with local civilians clinging to the side of their aircraft.
Dominant superpowers don’t abandon their own citizens abroad.
Dominant superpowers don’t engineer historically high inflation… and then ignore it. Nor do they embrace socialism, i.e. the literal opposite of the capitalist economic system that created so much wealth and power to begin with.
Dominant superpowers don’t send their government agents to harass innocent citizens, or tell parents they have no say in the education of their children.
Dominant superpowers don’t suspend their Constitutions because of a virus. They don’t give people incentives to NOT work. They don’t constantly make it difficult for small businesses to succeed.
Dominant superpowers don’t deliberately reduce their military’s physical fitness standards in the name of diversity and inclusion. They don’t prioritize “equity” over national security. And they certainly don’t fire experienced intelligence operatives because of individual medical decisions.
Dominant superpowers don’t placate their adversaries and bow to their demands. They aren’t afraid to offend their rivals.
Dominant superpowers don’t create incentives for countless people to illegally cross the border and go live under a bridge.
And above all else, dominant superpowers are able to deal with challenges.
Yes, there’s always been conflict and disagreement. But dominant superpowers have stable, effective governments who can do what is necessary to solve problems. And they have societies whose people can coexist peacefully without being at each others’ throats all the time.
It might not be pleasant to think about, but these are all true statements about the United States. And like Rome, they are all obvious signs of decline. Simply put, the US is no longer the dominant superpower.
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Signs of decline by design.
As AMERICA GOES SO GOES FREEDOM AROUND THE WORLD. We are (were) the anchor of freedom.
You’re kidding, right Balbi?
”’Within weeks, the USA and Spain had reached agreement to end the conflict, purchasing the Philippines from Spain for $20 million dollars. Once again, the Spanish military were quickly defeated and the US Navy occupied Manila with McKinley secretly writing that “we must keep all we get; when the war is over we must keep what we want.” There was no chance that the “Pacific Negro” was going to have any real independence. The Filipino rebels were having none of this American ‘kindness’ and now directed their attacks against the Americans. Sadly, the US forces killed more than 3,000 Filipino freedom fighters in the first 24 hours. American tactics were brutal, shooting any local male over ten years old and torturing prisoners for information. They actively pursued the ‘Water Cure’ (later renamed ‘Water-Boarding’) but after World War II prosecuted Japanese military for this war-crime against US personnel. The new military governor was General Arthur MacArthur (father of Douglas, the subsequent ‘liberator’ of the Philippines), who copied the Cuban approach of ‘concentrating’ civilians in special camps. In 1900, McKinley decided he needed an improved image for the upcoming election, so he appointed Judge Taft as civilian governor and picked TR as his vice-presidential candidate. The election in November gave the Republicans their biggest victory since 1872. However, by September, 1901 in the official new administration, McKinley was shot dead by an anarchist assassin, so that TR became the 26th American president. Meanwhile the Filipino rebellion continued until over 20,000 rebels and civilians had been killed.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351942775_Diplomacy_ReviewEssay_of_THE_IMPERIAL_CRUISE_A_Secret_History_of_Empire_and_War_by_James_Bradley_2009_C_H_J_Spencer_26May2021_6400_words_10_pages
Side note on that conflict for those (like I) who are interested in firearms.
The Filipino (Moro) rebels would drug themselves and wrap their torsos tightly
in hemp rope and then attack en masse. The rope would keep their blood
guts in as they continued to fight for as long as they could with their kris knives. Many reached the American lines and did much damage because in close quarter fighting, the Americans had .38 caliber revolvers that were next to useless when it mattered for survival. The army approached John Browning about a new hand held weapon that
could be far more effective in stopping crazed fighters wrapped in rope.
The legendary 1911 .45 ACP was the result of that.
Only a country with the world’s reserve currency can create $30 Trillion in debt.
And all hell will break out when that changes…
The Titanic will look like a successful cruise when compared to the US Economy after the USD tanks.
Nah, Zimbabwe printed 100 trillon dollar bills. Maybe Slo Joe can print up some 10 quadrillon notes in another 3 years. Social security payments of 2 septillon per year will be normal. We’ll all be mucho richo.
It will have to be a coin, as the Fed is the only group authorized to issue paper currency.
The Treasury can still issue United States Notes I am pretty sure. Of course, when JFK did that (500 million worth) he was dead soon after. Coincidence I’m sure.
The 2020 GDP was just shy of $21 Trillion, so that’s a lot closer to being 50% larger than the economy (probably more than 50% since a portion of GDP is made up of defecit spending [i.e. debt]). Our debt to GDP ratio is about 150%. It was about 125% in 2020, and IIRC had just crossed over 100% in 2019.
That’s a sweet trend.
Nothing could possibleye go wrong.
Fun fact:
Russia’s debt to GDP is 17%.
We are around 135%.
I hate to be the bearer of much worse news than this article, but we are not 30 trillion
dollars in debt, we are at least 4 times that at 120 trillion in debt because of unfunded
liabilities promised by our feckless and fully corrupt government to peoples they thought
to buy their votes. That money cannot possibly be paid back EVER. So what happens
when the world’s great superpower defaults? Better ammo up, because the answer is complete
and utter societal chaos. And you best have LifeStraws for everyone you care about.
Clean water will not be found anywhere when civilization falls. People who maintain our
sewers and water plants won’t keep working for free. When they leave, then all bets are off.
Unclean water will kill just about everyone very quickly because almost no one has ever had
to deal with untreated water. Dysentery and cholera will kill millions very quickly. Also, the
farmers and cattlemen won’t sell for a future payment, and truckers won’t deliver either.
No food. No necessities to be had and then people become desperate and feral. The law of the jungle.
Hyperbole?
If you bet incorrectly that this won’t happen, then you won’t survive.
Medicare & SS “promises” are about $96T alone.
We were only the dominant superpower because the global cabal spread the illusion, we were the dominant super-power.
When the US was actually dominant in the 1920s and 1930s, it piled up huge quantities of gold from other nations….Now we’re a broken down military power with no industry…
Please. Like porn and dope aren’t industries!?!?!
The United States is not the only nation in decline. In 1970 in Canada Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau overreacted to a diplomat, and a provincial politician, being kidnapped by implimenting the War Measures Act and arresting hundreds of people with no connection to the kidnappers. The kidnappers were all eventually arrested through good old fashion police investigative work. No War Measures Act had been needed. Fifty two years later Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Pierre Trudeaus son) decreed the Emergency Powers Act in reaction to a bunch of overparked truckers and their supporters whose main crime seems to be excessive honking, letting off fireworks, cleaning the streets, dancing, ball hockey games in front of the Supreme Court building, and hot tubbing in -34 degree celsius weather. Justin Trudeau somehow sees this as a systemic threat to the nation and has given banks the right to seize their customers accounts without a court order. Can there be any more pathetic admission of how weak Canada has become than this affront to individual fredom?
“Dominant superpowers don’t accumulate 30 trillion in debt.” They do when they let dirtbags export their productive economy to Asia. They do when they let dirtbags counterfeit trillions of dollars every year. They do when they pretend that they didn’t build the best civilization on the planet.
think the audit claimed 7 trillion at the time in ft. knox, worth more now, and under 50%
The Federal Reserve must have the rest so thats ‘ours’ too….so 10- 14 trillion outstanding after liquidation…we can do this!
Be patriotic, please turn down your thermostats to 55°, and wear a sweater.
The people of the US never got anything from the money printing.
They like all the people around the world no one EVER voted to be in debt to the parasites.
Are we really going to give up the entire world because of crooked accounting, money scams and some creative public relations.
Imagine you can print out “money” at will and you still end up broke. How’s that for greed.
Ursury should be immediately outlawed. All central banks should be audited.
All true, but when does it collapse. I can’t keep putting up this bullshit for 200 more years.
Sir Admin, no good thread to post this on, but it is a worthwhile article.
Risk Elimination has its consequences!! EVERYONE is a bullet proof hero in a raging bull market, until….
REMEMBER—-Powell’s personal portfolio and the big banks he operates for and protects, BUT risk elimination has its consequences!!
https://www.oftwominds.com/blogfeb22/risk2-22.html
It’s not just the US but most Western democracies are rotting. When the US finally financially implodes it will be interesting to see what becomes of Europe without our military providing free protection.
Will they go back to killing each other as they have for centuries? Will Vlad take over parts of Eastern Europe? I’m not sure but it will be a site to behold.
It’s sad to say but I welcome the collapse. The sooner the better. I’m looking forward to instituting a patriarchal Christian Theocracy here in the Midwest under my benevolent rule.
I have dibs on Florida.
Be sure and hire several food testers before the coronation dinner.
What do you expect? You put people in charge of running government who are completely and totally incompetent, and then you complain that they screw everything up. Politicians are, for the most part, academics, who are no-loads who have never had a real job in their entire lives. They are completely clueless about how anything works. But you continue to vote for them, and allow them to continue ensuring the collapse of the country. Makes you wonder who is more stupid, the politicians, or the voters?