Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Empires bring disaster?

Famine-Genocide in the Ukraine, 1932-1933

It has been argued that the takeover of Palestine by a Moslem Empire in 637 AD brought peace and civilisation to that country.

"The coming of Islam was the beginning of an age when people of different beliefs in Palestine could live in peace and harmony." (Islam Has Brought Peace And Harmony To The Middle East All Through ...)

But, most empires seem to bring trouble.

The Belgian Empire brought disaster to the Congo. The British Empire brought disaster to Ireland. Germany's Third Reich brought disaster to Poland. The Soviet Empire brought disaster to the Ukraine. The American Empire has brought disaster to Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Afghanistan, Iraq and many other countries.

Why does Indonesia suffer from militarism? That was introduced by the Japanese Empire and reinforced by the American Empire in 1965.

Roman Empire from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:RomanEmpire_117.svg

From historian Stuart Laycock, who has written 'Britannia: the Failed State', we learn about the disasters brought to Britain by the Roman Empire.

1. The Romans encouraged tribalism in Britain, just as the British did in Africa.

2. During the period of Roman rule in Britain, Britain suffered from:

A. Tribal wars.

B. Tribal revolts.

C. Revolts by Roman generals and governors

D. Attacks from outside forces.

By the time the Romans left, Britain was a failed state, just like so many states in present day Africa.

It would seem that the Roman Empire has sometimes been overestimated.

Historian Angus Maddison (
Home Maddison) has estimated that during the first century AD, the GDP of India was much bigger than that of the Roman world.

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