Are We Rome? The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America
Files
Document Type
Book
Description
The rise and fall of ancient Rome has been on American minds from the beginning of our Republic. Depending on who's doing the talking, the history of Rome serves either as a triumphal call to action, or a dire warming of imminent collapse. Esteemed editor and author Murphy ventures past the pundits' rhetoric to draw nuanced lessons about how we might avoid Rome's demise. Working on a canvas that extends far beyond the issue of an overstretched military, Murphy reveals a wide array of similarities between the two empires: the blinding, insular culture of our capitals; the debilitating effect of corruption; the paradoxical issue of borders; and the weakening of the body politic through various forms of "privatization." Most pressingly, he 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 are in our power to change.
Publication Date
2007
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin
City
Boston
State
MA
Award
2008 Nonfiction Runner-Up
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Creative Writing | History | Nonfiction
Repository Citation
Murphy , C. (2007). Are We Rome? The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
