Comparative-Civilization

     One of the more recent claims or ideals that has become increasingly more prevalent in today's society is the comparative nature of the ancient Roman empire with that of modern day America; and the U.S. to be more exact. While this can appear to be true at first glance, the truth is that ancient Rome and modern day America are quite different from each other in terms of an empire.

     Obviously, the U.S. is still considered the current Hegemon, however, in a world where democracy is becoming ever-more prevalent, the power and relevance of this Hegemonic status begins to dwindle. At this point you could argue that Rome underwent a similar decline after their prime but you would in fact be describing every major human civilization from past to present. For example, the Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, British, French and even the Germans all had a similar type of empire that both rose and eventually fell. The primary difference between The U.S. and Rome is that Rome did not share power. They simply conquered those who stood in their way while the U.S. has never really taken an imperialistic stance. This is vastly different from modern day where building alliances is now the most effective strategy in the global theater.
     Another common comparison that is made between Rome and the U.S. is that of a similar social stratification between the two. To this I would say that unless you live in a communist country, you will always experience some sort of social stratification. By now we are all familiar with the 1% and 99% or the wealthy and 'poor' respectively within the U.S. Historians have discovered that ancient Rome had a far more complex social structure involving as many as seven or eight different social classes. Also, to expand upon this, the only requirements to vote in the U.S. is that you must be a citizen over the age of eighteen. In ancient Rome however, only a roman-born male was able to vote and regardless of age.

     Personally, I can only find and agree with two similarities between the U.S. and ancient Rome; the first being within the arts and sciences. Undoubtedly, both these civilizations have made profound discoveries and innovations within these realms. Aside from the extraordinary advances on the military front, both civilizations have paved the way for others and quite literally with the Romans. The U.S. equivalent of the Romans paved roads would be the space exploration program. Yet again though, this type of logic is flawed because other countries have also made similar advancements; in this case it would be Russia.
     The second area in which these two civilizations share a similarity would be in their dynamic populations. Both ancient Rome and America are comprised of individuals from various parts across the globe. Where Romes population consisted of the Roman-born and the conquered, America's current population is the result of European imperialism. Either way, both civilizations experienced an extremely diverse set of cultures, religions and ideals.
     Overall, is the U.S. considered the new Rome? Largely no, with a few exceptions. The simple truth is, any Hegemony inherently shares similarities with other previous Hegemonies.


For further reading, please visit: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/political-bookworm/2010/04/america_as_a_new_rome.html

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/socialculture/tp/Roman-Society.htm