Chapter 3 Ways of the World


Chapter 3 Ways of the World 

3. Do you think that these second-wave empires hold “lessons” for the present, or are contemporary circumstances sufficiently unique as to render the distant past irrelevant?

Yes, the second wave empires do hold lessons for the present. As is a parent in Chapter 3 Empires arise, grow stronger, reach a peak, recede, and die.  Thus, the Empires of Spain, Portugal, and England no longer exist.  There are more and more expert opinions that suggest that the American Empire is receding and China is rising.
The United States military, which has 800 bases in 80 countries, is being stretched thin as the US relies less and less on diplomacy and more and more on military action.    It has outsourced its industrial base to third world countries including China.  Similar to the decline in the Roman Empire, the taxes of the wealthy and large corporations are decreasing and the share paid by the less wealthy is increasing. Whereas in the 1950’s the corporate and individual share of federal revenue were approximately equal, currently the corporate share is only 13%. The average wage adjusted for inflation has barely increased over the last 40 years, while the share of income going to the top 1% has approached the level that occurred just preceding the Great Depression. In contrast to the Chinese response to the current pandemic, the American response has been grossly incompetent. Our government may be losing its “ mandate of heaven.”

These 7 Feats of BadAssery by the U.S. Marine Corps Show Why They ...

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