Thread: What are the advantages and disadvantages of building empires/civilizations? ?

All empires fall because they have one inherent flaw. Expansion.
Expanding beyond your borders is always disastrous. Sending soldiers to far flung regions then keeping them supplied is suicidal. The local residents of the region you are trying to control always resents your presence. Your soldiers lose moral because they are far from home for long periods of time. Yet most empires are too proud to claim defeat and continue to spend valuable resources to maintain their hold on these far flung regions. In the end, you tax the people at home to the point of bankruptcy and your forces in the far flung regions become weak and ineffective.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of building an empire, if in the end, most empires just fall? For example, the Roman empire flourished for for hundreds of years, but began to fall, and eventually died.

advantage: power

disadvantage: the envious and a downfall

Advantage:
Leaders and noble gained more power and wealth

Disadvantage:
All others were killed, tortured, and oppressed.

Why build, if the empire will only fall later? People just don't like to plan for the long term. Or, they see the kind of disaster like the fall of the Empire as inconcievable.

Example, at one time many people said: 'The sun never sets on the SPANISH empire.' (Yes, they used that saying first.) Or, 'The sun never sets on the British empire.'

Similarly, many thought of the Soviet Union as an empire; to its builders the fall seemed inconcievable. Many think of the US as an empire...tell any American their empire will fall, and you will only get laughter.


Your question is a very profound one, though. Philosophers would tell you the problem is the 'illusion of permanence' people have; they believe all their works will last forever - including an empire...You could ask a very similar question to yours in the philosophy section, such as, 'Why do we strive to accomplish anything, when we know we will only die in the end?'

The Roman Empire came when most of Europe where uncivilized and the Romans built those uncivilized countries, until the Jewish saw a way of protection through the Romans.

That's when the Romans start wars with civilized countries like Egypt.
Since the Christian Europe, all countries got civilized.
If we had an empire in these times it would be an (uncivilized) era.