Are we Rome? : the fall of an empire and the fate of America
The rise and fall of ancient Rome has been on American minds from the beginning of our republic. Today we focus less on the Roman Republic than on the empire that took its place. Depending on who's doing the talking, the history of Rome serves as either a triumphal call to action or a dire warning of imminent collapse. In Are We Rome' the esteemed editor and author Cullen Murphy reveals a wide array of similarities between the two empires: the blinkered, insular culture of our capitals; the debilitating effect of bribery in public life; the paradoxical issue of borders; and the weakening of the body politic through various forms of privatization. Murphy persuasively argues that we most resemble Rome in the burgeoning corruption of our government and in our arrogant ignorance of the world outside -- two things that must be changed if we are to avoid Rome's fate
eBook, English, 2008, ©2007
1st Mariner books ed View all formats and editions
Houghton Mifflin, Boston [MA], 2008, ©2007
History
1 online resource (262 pages)
9781299897182, 9780547527079, 1299897185, 0547527071
858972974
Print version:
""Front Matter""; ""Half Title""; ""Books by Cullen Murphy""; ""Title""; ""Copyright""; ""Dedication""; ""Contents""; ""Prologue: The Eagle in the Mirror""; ""1. The Capitals: Where Republic Meets Empire""; ""2. The Legions: When Power Meets Reality""; ""3. The Fixers: When Public Good Meets Private Opportunity""; ""4. The Outsiders: When People Like Us Meet People Like Them""; ""5. The Borders: Where the Present Meets the Future""; ""Epilogue: There Once Was a Great City""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Notes""; ""Bibliography""
"A Mariner Book."