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  • The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea

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The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea

by Edward J. Watts (Author) Format: Hardcover
4.4 out of 5 stars (98)

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For more than 2000 years, those wishing to rule Rome and leaders inspired by their example have claimed they, and only they, could restore their society's past glory and make it great again. They left millions of victims in their wake. The decline of Rome has been a constant source of discussion for more than 2200 years. Everyone from American journalists in the twenty-first century AD to Roman politicians at the turn of the third century BC have used it as a tool to illustrate the negative consequences of changes in their world. Because Roman history is so long, it provides a buffet of ready-made stories of decline that can help develop the context around any snapshot. And Rome did, in fact, decline and, eventually, fall. An empire that once controlled all or part of more than 40 modern European, Asian, and African countries no longer exists. Roman prophets of decline were, ultimately, proven correct-a fact that makes their modern invocations all the more powerful. If it happened then, it could happen now.

The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome tells the stories of the people who built their political and literary careers around promises of Roman renewal as well as those of the victims they blamed for causing Rome's decline. Each chapter offers the historical context necessary to understand a moment or a series of moments in which Romans, aspiring Romans, and non--Romans used ideas of Roman decline and restoration to seize power and remake the world around them. The story begins during the Roman Republic just after 200 BC. It proceeds through the empire of Augustus and his successors, traces the Roman loss of much of western Europe in the fifth century AD, and then follows Roman history as it runs through the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) until its fall in 1453. The final two chapters look at ideas of Roman decline and renewal from the fifteenth century until today. If Rome illustrates the profound danger of the rhetoric of decline, it also demonstrates the rehabilitative potential of a rhetoric that focuses on collaborative restoration, a lesson of great relevance to our world today.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0190076712
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0190076719
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    August 3, 2021
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    9.2 x 1.2 x 6.4 inches
  7. Print length
    320 pages
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From the Publisher

"...a powerful lens through which to view teh past..." - Wall Street Journal

"...one of Watts's most significant books." - World History Encyclopedia

The stories of the people who built their careers around promises of Roman renewal...

"...clearly...covers 2,000 years of political and intellectual history." - CHOICE

"A fresh, complex story of how historical preceptions come into being..." - Kirkus

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Edward J. Watts, a professor of history at the University of California, San Diego, is a scholar of the later ancient world, who takes his readers from republican Rome to Republican Washington with a resounding theme that anyone promising to restore lost greatness is probably up to no good...This is a powerful lens through which to view the past, both for those who already think they know it well and those who have practical uses for it...He gives a masterly account of the complex family who founded the Roman empire's last and longest-lasting dynasty, and of its principal figure, Michael Palaeologus (1261-82), who restored Constantinople to its capital status while committing "sins so great that even
his successors hesitated to embrace his legacy too closely."
-Peter Stothard, Wall Street Journal

Review

"Proponents of gradualism, sceptical about the need for radical change and its promised benefits, will have a handy primer to challenge the misuse of Roman precedents." -- MICHAEL WHITBY, The Classical Review

"The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome might be one of Watts's most significant books." -- Evan Axel Andersson, World History Encyclopedia

"This clearly written scholarly work covers 2,000 years of political and intellectual history." -- A. J. Papalas, East Carolina University, Choice Connect

"This is a gripping book, which packs much detail into its 242 pages. It is built around the theme of continuous decline or apparent decline. The book has many insights, in particular the way in which Roman history is misused by modern writers and politicians. This reviewer would strongly recommend the book to anyone with an interest in European history or classics." -- Rupert Jackson, Classics for All

"Edward J. Watts, a professor of history at the University of California, San Diego, is a scholar of the later ancient world, who takes his readers from republican Rome to Republican Washington with a resounding theme that anyone promising to restore lost greatness is probably up to no good.... This is a powerful lens through which to view the past, both for those who already think they know it well and those who have practical uses for it.... He gives a masterly account of the complex family who founded the Roman empire's last and longest-lasting dynasty, and of its principal figure, Michael Palaeologus (1261-82), who restored Constantinople to its capital status while committing 'sins so great that even his successors hesitated to embrace his legacy too closely." -- Peter Stothard, Wall Street Journal

"History professor Watts accomplishes an impressive feat by effectively compressing the vast history of Rome and its empire into a relatively short book... In such an abbreviated history of much of the Western World, Watts succeeds admirably in his purpose. But his truly novel contribution is his ability to weave in the ways that the 'deeply entrenched narrative' of Roman decline and recovery accompanied Rome's growth in the second century B.C.E. and on to its commanding position in the western empire as the seat of Catholicism, before the break with Constantinople.... A fresh, complex story of how historical perceptions come into being and are used to persuade and rule." -- Kirkus Reviews

"The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome traces the dreams and nightmares of the longest lasting polity in the history of Europe. For almost two millennia, Romans remained haunted by the prospect of their own decline and fall. They were also constantly hypnotized by programs that claimed to 'Make Rome Great Again.' Each such program left a trail of victims and scapegoats. Edward Watts tells this story of alternating hopes, fears, and grand illusions from beginning to end with zest and truly panoramic erudition. Those who wish to understand how the chill ghost of Rome's fall can still be conjured up by modern pundits and politicians - and frequently with toxic results--should read this book." -- Peter Brown, author of The Ransom of the Soul: Afterlife and Wealth in Early Western Christianity

"The 'fall of Rome' is an idea that has been weaponized throughout the ages. Where one speaks of a 'decline,' talk of blame is usually soon to follow. Any 'renewal' or 'revival' quickly results in its own victims. The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome is the first book to tell the story of the use and misuse of these ideas over the long course of Roman history. As Watts lays out, there was no one decline of Rome, nor one fall, but a series of them, each of them heavily politicized." -- Anthony Kaldellis, author of Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium, 955 A.D. to the First Crusade

"In this timely and well-executed work, Edward Watts has brought off three exceptional achievements: literary, historical, and political. His well-tempered description of Roman decline and fall strikes chords in contemporary America, inviting a use of Rome's example to think more responsibly about the challenges of our own world." -- Janet Nelson, author of King and Emperor: A New Life of Charlemagne

"Memory of Rome's imperial greatness has inspired over the centuries the ambitions of rulers, popes, and warlords. But alongside this was the warning of Rome's fall. In this masterful compression, Edward Watts brings together ideas of empire and decline, showing their interaction over almost two millennia and their continued relevance and misuse in politics today." -- Martyn Rady, author of The Habsburgs: The Rise and Fall of a World Power

"Watt's book is well-written and it demonstrates the work of a classical scholar at the top of his game. Moreover, he makes an admirable argument about the need for a positive American leader akin to Marcus Aurelius." -- Jesse Russell, European Conservative

"learned and highly readable book." -- Mike Markowitz, StrategyPage Reviews

"Watts has taken an important step in leading historians toward those conversations, for which Eternal Decline merits genuine praise." -- M. Shane Bjornlie, Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies

"Professor Watts writes well and this is an alluring story as he marches through Roman history, trashing idols, showing that the bad emperors are not always as bad as they are made out to be, and the good emperors are not always quite as good. Whether this is the history of a dangerous idea, I am not always convinced; but it is an enjoyable ride." -- Andrew Selkirk, Current World Archaeology

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 3, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0190076712
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0190076719
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.2 x 1.2 x 6.4 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #1,097,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars (98)

About the author

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Edward Jay Watts

Edward Jay Watts

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Edward Watts is the Alkiviadis Vassiliadis Endowed Chair in Byzantine History at UC San Diego. He writes about political and religious change in the Roman Republic, Roman Empire, and Byzantine Empire. His work has been featured in the Economist, the New York Times, the New Yorker, Time, Smithsonian, and NPR. He also maintains a YouTube channel, Rome's Eternal Decline, featuring videos devoted to Roman and Byzantine history.

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