Economic Decline: A Comparative Study of Han, Rome, and America

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The decline of the Han, China, the Roman Empires “Third Century Crisis”, and the United States today occurred (or are occurring- the United States) for many reasons. Economy is one of the most common and often the first domino to send a land into decline. Another mutuality between the three events is population. Also, government is a large contributing factor in any declining society. If a military is not loyal or strong, their home will suffer. Economic trouble is a well-known factor to a downfall. The Han dynasty, United States, and Roman Empire are excellent examples of a troubled economy contributing to their decline. The government of the United States today and the Roman Empire during the “Third Century Crisis” are major problems. The Han emperors, Roman rulers, and United States presidents have had and have difficulty keeping power and money under their control. The military of the Han dynasty and the Roman Empire were a large cause to many of the other difficulties each faced in their decline. The Han needed to pay their military, although they were not in the …show more content…

The dynasty only continued for a short time after a major economic hit. A new ruler wanted to be liked by his people, so the ruler, Wang Mang, gave any extra land from the wealthy to the peasants. The problematic economy was made worse when a flood occurred. Another factor of the Hans decline, and fall, was their financial trouble. This was also an issue for the Roman Empire and United States. After the Roman Empire first began to descend, economic problems arose. This only made the fall more troubling. Today, the tremendous debt the United States acquires is a large reason for its decline. This major similarity between the declines of the three events are stark repetition. With weak rulers who succumb to the struggles of the economy they are bound to face, there is little chance to keep from a

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