Inspiration from history: fall of Empire
- P.A. Hvistendahl
- Mar 15
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 7
My generation thinks democracy is inevitable - that there is an arc of history bending towards a better tomorrow, despite set-backs.
But is that true? Athens and Rome (Republic) were early predecessors, admittedly limited, of democracy. They were stunning successes, but ultimately failed. And did not return on a grand scale until 1776. That's 1803 years in between the two experiments! Quite a wait!
Kulikowski argues that one reason the western Roman empire fell in 476, while the Byzantine, or eastern Roman empire, survived, was because the “1%” of the western Roman empire grew so powerful that they did not need a state to function.
“They can withhold their taxes. When push comes to shove, they can raise their own private armies,” he said. In the eastern Roman empire, in contrast, the aristocracy was weaker, and they still found value in supporting the bureaucracy of the state.
This was bad news for the current American empire: “We have reached a very late Roman western state where the 1% does not need the state to survive,” Kulikowski said. “If the US government stops being able to do much of anything, it stops to matter to them. That’s a real parallel.”
If everything continues going south, at least my much maligned ancestors practised a limited democracy for over a thousand years through the Thing (Þing), where free farmers could attend, speak, and vote.
Lawsayers or lǫgsǫgumaðr) memorized and recited laws.
Decisions were often reached by consensus or vote.
Kings later used the Things to legitimize their power—but early on, the Things checked royal power, not just enforced it.
I do not know. Mayeb AI will help decision making? Maybe the again-much maligned EU bureaucrats with their expert groups from various countries, i maybe not the worst framework.
But I fear for the future of democracy in a hyper-complex world where we trust no one
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