is coming Revelation, brothers! Are we currently in a situation similar to the collapse of the Roman Empire ? Obviously there are many differences and that talk of an end of civilization is a topic full of inaccuracies that become fashionable from time to time. Could you get a Dark Age despite the technological development? Are they laying the groundwork for a new feudal system from unbridled capitalism?
Some say, as Byron that the best prophet of the future is the past . To understand what we are talking about going first to talk about how they became the Roman Empire to the Middle Ages. All of the following is written memory and with obvious limitations of space, but there is abundant literature on the subject for anyone with a library close to home and be bored watching TV.
The Roman Empire.
Rome was a republic ruled by an oligarchy of nobles calling themselves Senators and joined in government decisions. The senators did not want a king over them, and when Julius Caesar managed to accumulate excessive power that saw a group of senators conspired to assassinate him before the proclaimed king. Placed in successive civil wars over power to his godson Octavio Augusto , who made himself the emperor, ruling over the Senate thanks to the power he had over the army, and presenting itself as representative of the people against the aristocracy (in plan populist spending money to please the mass).
The emperor was not a king, the charge could be inherited by any military that the Senate considered more qualified (pressed to do so by the emperor in active military or the applicant), but with time appeared several dynasties in which the son inherited from the father. There were also civil wars, for example after the death of Nero , but only faced the legions loyal to a general and not directed against civilians. Until we arrived at third century, when the Empire entered a period of internal wars lasting several decades and just forcing Rome itself be provided with walls, something unthinkable in previous centuries. This stage ends with Diocletian, who introduces a system more like an Eastern royalty.
battles and dynasties are good in the history books, but most of the population was on other things. Starting the V century was a Roman soldier per 400 inhabitants. The expansion into Asia was hampered by the Parthians first, and then the Persians. Casually from entering both internal wars empires at the same time prevented one of them could defeat the other.
The Roman Empire had a network of public schools, where most people could learn to read and write. The wealthy could also pay a tutor for their children, or even buy it. Latin was the common language which unified the territories, although many of them had their own language and Greek was the preferred language for culture. They had a good communication system, knew the basics about distant lands, bought silk from China and were Buddhist missionaries. The state gave grants to the population so that in the cities had did not have enough people to work to eat every day, and gave them free entertainment. There was street lighting, bath houses, water, fire, etc.
The official religion was inclusive of foreign cults. The gods were the same, but with different names in each culture. Under interpretatio graeca was assumed that Jupiter was the Roman Zeus and Hercules Donate Germany. Required the imperial cult as a unifying element, that is, recognition to the spirit of the emperor. Judaism, Christianity first and then crashed into this scheme and became foreign elements who did not accept this pluralistic system.
Technology had come to create a steam engine, but being Roman slave economy did not demand the invention of machines and stayed in a scientific curiosity. Perhaps if they had been slaves would advance to the Industrial Revolution, but never know. On the other hand had mechanical devices with clock wheels, which were used to make astronomical calendars. Social mobility was high, could start as a slave and end up being free and rich, and a soldier of humble origin could reach the emperor. But still senatorial families which together existing land and gold.
The Roman Citizenship (which originally was hereditary and then gave the Legionnaires barbarians who had served in Rome) was extended to all citizens of the Empire in the early third century, for economic reasons , and maybe that prevented its collapse during the civil wars. The Romans had lawyers, loans, notes, tax ... Diocletian reformed the monetary system and issued an edict of prices. The old patriarchal system had reached a state of near equality between women and men, and tolerance of private vices. In
conclusion, with its lights and shadows, we can say that the Roman Empire was a pretty good time compared to what came before and what came later, in terms such as life expectancy, nutrition, degree of freedom, and access to culture . But the system went into crisis, and so we shall see in the next article.
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