The fall of the Roman Empire is the most well-known civilization collapse in history. What are the factors that most contributed to the rapid and steady decline of Roman civilization?
Cicero put it best when in 55 BC, he stated that “the budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”
If this all sounds familiar, compare the current global fiscal situation with Rome’s precipitous decline. Precise parallels can be drawn between our modern economy and the Roman economy. Currency created in the reign of Caesar was steadily devalued as gold coins were replaced by silver. The value of these coins was then further diluted by decreasing both the weight and content of metal in the coins by up to seventy percent by 350 AD. We all know what happened next.
