This week will live in infamy in American history: a mob stormed the capitol; an audio tape revealed a sitting president badgering a state official to find him votes; members of Congress protested the results of a free and fair election. While the source of these calamities could be attributed to one person, their unprecedented appearance begs the question of whether something greater is at work.
World Leadership focused on how societies rise to power; as such, it did not directly examine how societies fall from power. However, while doing research the book, I did discover an underlying pattern for major powers in decline.
- First: the loss of founding cause. Most empires were founded on an idea. People rallied around the idea, which created the power to rise. As generations passed, however, the cause faded. In some cases, it became passe. It a few cases, it became a joke.
- Second: public apathy. At some point, people started focusing on themselves rather than the good of society. Pleasure, entertainment, and personal issues became the priority. Stability in society was taken for granted. Causes involving the public good received scant attention.
- Third: palace intrigue became more important than running the kingdom. Leaders began investing more time on personal agendas and less time on doing what was right for society. Palace intrigue became the primary focus rather than an unavoidable nuisance. The realm began to erode on the periphery as responsibilities were neglected.
- Finally: a weak leader came along. An empire can limp for generations in a semi-deteriorated state. However, invariably someone came along who was wholly unfit for the role of leader. He was toppled by a rival state or clan, bringing down the empire or dynasty.
This pattern manifests differently in nation-states than it does in kingdoms, but it largely still holds. This, then, begs the questions: Are these four steps are at work in our society today? And how bad does each step have to be before a power falls? I leave these questions open for discussion.
Photo: Boston Globe