cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/29404994
19 comments
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Lead pipes, too?
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Lead pipes, lead paint, leaded gas. There's a reason the boomers in power are fucking idiots.
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Bonus this time around: leaded ammunition!
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Learning about history is “woke”
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Being fair to Christianity, they weren't really in power for a hot minute, and most of the history was decision after decision to benefit the ruling class. I think the real thing to focus on was an ineffective senate and more and more power concentrated in a single office, whose executive was often selected by an entrenched, unelected body. The country was basiclly at the mercy of the competence of the emperor. Sometimes, they got lucky with a dude like Marcus Aurelius, who then decided his son, Commodus (the bad guy from Gladiator), should succeed him. Constantius (effective emperor) was succeeded by backbiting over the four major seats of power that, with constantine ultimately gaining power (via murder). This was like 300 CE? That's when Christianity started ass fucking Europe for the next 1700 years.
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Can someone link citation(s) to verify this for Roman history?
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Depends on which one you're asking about. They're all true, to varying degrees.
Recurring plagues had significant effect from the late 2nd century AD onwards on the manpower and economy of the Empire. Military leadership is probably the weakest argument - I'd agree that it was a problem, but not really core. Christianity caused the Empire to alienate large groups of much-needed support, and offered massive tax breaks, monetary subsidies, and manpower losses to Christian clergy and ascetics - not to mention the persecution of 'heretical' Christians by government authority.
Civil wars were a constant feature from the early-mid 3rd century AD onwards. Decisions to benefit the rich intensified from the 3rd century AD onwards, gradually reducing both urban workers and rural peasants to a position not much better than slaves, both in terms of living standards and rights. Ironically, this also caused a decline in the living standards of the ultra-wealthy, though they had more power than ever with which to cudgel their 'lessers'.
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"It couldn't happen here." - Chuck Schumer, probably
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Reminds me of something, but I can’t think what…….
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That doesn't sound familiar... oh wait, yeah it does. That's us!
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Mehercule...
19 comments
What do you mean you've seen this? It's brand new.