The Decline And Fall Of The American Empire

Coffee time.

“THE MULTITUDES remained plunged in ignorance… and their leaders, seeking their votes, did not dare to undeceive them.” So wrote Winston Churchill of the victors of the first world war in “The Gathering Storm.” He bitterly recalled a “refusal to face unpleasant facts, desire for popularity and electoral success irrespective of the vital interests of the state.” American readers watching their government’s ignominious departure from Afghanistan, and listening to President Joe Biden’s strained effort to justify the unholy mess he has made, may find at least some of Churchill’s critique of interwar Britain uncomfortably familiar.

Britain’s state of mind was the product of a combination of national exhaustion and “imperial overstretch”, to borrow a phrase from Paul Kennedy, a historian at Yale. Since 1914, the nation had endured war, financial crisis and in 1918-19 a terrible pandemic, the Spanish influenza. The economic landscape was overshadowed by a mountain of debt. Though the country remained the issuer of the dominant global currency, it was no longer unrivalled in that role. A highly unequal society inspired politicians on the left to demand redistribution if not outright socialism. A significant proportion of the intelligentsia went further, embracing communism or fascism.

Meanwhile the established political class preferred to ignore a deteriorating international situation. Britain’s global dominance was menaced in Europe, in Asia and in the Middle East. The system of collective security—based on the League of Nations, which had been established in 1920 as part of the post-war peace settlement—was crumbling, leaving only the possibility of alliances to supplement thinly spread imperial resources. The result was a disastrous failure to acknowledge the scale of the totalitarian threat and to amass the means to deter the dictators.

20 Replies to “The Decline And Fall Of The American Empire”

  1. Earlier this morning, the Daily Mail had a headline listing and highlighting some of Biden’s failures, such that I questioned how much longer the Biden cabal can hold on. Never fear, the Morons are here. If the Dems can manipulate the events and perceptions of today’s march on DC, they can shift the attention from Biden’s implosion. The march can easily turn into a gift to the Dems. Maybe, I should be more optimistic; maybe the organizers do have a slight chance of pulling this off. If not, I will never forgive them for throwing a lifeline to the Biden administration.

  2. I am a huge history and geography nerd and bore my friends and family. I DO find troubling parallels between this passage from 100 years ago and what is happening in the world today.
    I agree with the posting “The Decline and Fall of the American Empire”. I think it started after the presidency of Ronald Reagan.
    The Bushes (father and son), the Clintons, the Obamas and now the Bidens are all “less than special”. President Trump tried to reverse the course, but was too kind to the swamp creatures.
    I also think that Canada is going down the drain. The only thing that could possibly change course is Demographics. China is in for a “whole world of hurt” in the next 10-15 years when the first “little Princes” hit their 60’s and will want looking after. The same goes for the Muslim world, as there is a lot of inbreeding which occurs. That does not work out well after 2-3 generations (40-60 years). From my reckoning, I think we are in the third generation for the Muslim world. I could be wrong!

    1. Very well put Big Momma…..I think to para phrase what you are saying ” it looks like we “Canada” is in a race with the US to see who can hit rock bottom and claim the moniker of a( Shit Hole Country) First. I think at this point in time we are winning….Steve O

  3. Thank you Kate for this remarkable post!
    The situation then and now are eerily similar
    to anyone paying attention. God only knows
    where we’re headed while history seems to be repeating itself.
    Good catch on the Churchill quote! A great man , a gifted
    writer and inspired wartime leader. Arguably the greatest
    man of the 20th century

  4. Good Post Momma..

    I too am a sucker for History – for it can teach much ….when theres folks willing to learn. AM not so sure there are many today who even care…too wrapped up in their digital world.
    The Fact that HISTORY is barely given lip service is to me, a terrible thing and something that will undermine in due course, our entire Civilization. (the old insanity definition right..??)

    Reagan was an awesome President and what came after can only be described as the scumbags of the Deep State….both Bushes & Obama especially. GARBAGE Presidents fully invested in the military-industrial-pharmaceutical complex and the massive profits derived from their sending of 18-20 yr olds to die in the various shit-holes of the planet produced.

    Biden, Pelosi, Watters et all being products of those 3…with Obama inciting a RACE war as well as infusing the youth with full on Socialist Quasi Communist dogma.

    Human garbage the lot.

  5. To every season there is a time under heaven. The world was very fortunate when the British Empire fell, that we had a seamless more or less transition to the American Empire. Another reasonably long period of relative peace. From the end of the WW2. That is gone, the fall of Kabul the fall of Afghanistan when we saw goat fuckers win against the American Empire signalled not just the end of the American Empire but the end of the New World Order. Now we will see the end of the USD as reserve currency, and the economic collapse of the west. The King Is Dead. Long Live The King.

  6. “In 1912, Woodrow Wilson was supposed to be the second coming, the end all and be all of American progress; the progressives were in ecstasy(tingle up the leg?). But it all went wrong. “During the presidential election of 1916, many leftists had embraced Woodrow Wilson as an almost supernatural leader of near messianic promise, but in the wake of repression at home and revolution and diplomatic disappointment abroad, he came to be seen as a Judas, and his affected rhetoric came to be seen as supercilious hypocrisy.”
    “Michael McGerr (U of Ind and historian of the Progressive Movement) writes, “Amid race riots, strikes, high inflation, and a frenzied Red Scare, Americans rejected the Progressive blueprint for the nation. The climax of Progressivism, World War I, was also its death knell.” Modern Republicanism — in the form of Presidents Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover? — and modern liberalism both emerged as reactions to the excesses of Progressivism. ”

    Historical note for post above: It’s almost 100 years ago that Woodrow Wilson’s presidency, thoroughly discredited the Progressive agenda. BUT…….I don’t know if history will repeat; government dependency is exponentially greater today, and not just by individuals, but by all kinds of entities, public and private. Therein lies the problem: Rent Seeking. On the other hand, the elites cannot control or mitigate the offensiveness of their overreach or their increasingly glaring incompetence.

  7. A similar parallel can be made with the declining Roman empire of around 350 AD or so. Human history seems to be cyclic perhaps because human nature doesn’t change.

  8. I think there comes a tipping point. We are loaded with useless, fake, make work jobs, that don’t add any value and piggyback on the tangible, grow the pie wealth created by others. This is exacerbated by the concentration of wealth into fewer and fewer hands. Think of an upside down pyramid, teetering and top heavy with Rent Seekers. It is no wonder that the parasites are anxious.

  9. Niall is always a great read. And a great listen. Some really good interviews with Bari Weiss and Coleman Hughes on their podcasts recently.

  10. What Do All Men With Power Want? What Do All Empires Want?
    They All Want More Power Until They Become So Fucked With Power They Collapse. You Can Not Wield Power Indefinitely. It Also Has A Cycle. And The American Empire Has Ended. It Ended When Bush Brought In The Patriot Act.
    The Rise Of The Global Deep State Along With The American Deep State Time Is Done.
    The Cost Of Projecting Power Always Ends Empires.
    Every Single Time.
    The American Founding Fathers Had The Wisdom To Understand This, We Have A Lot Of Elite Trash, Who Will All Tell You They Are The Smartest In The Room.
    But We Have Not Produced Men With Real Wisdom For A Very Long Time.
    And No Churchill Was Not Wise. And Like Hitler He Was A Terrible Military Leader. Got A Lot Of Colonials Mostly Canadians Killed.

    Look To Your Hole Card.

    1. “But we have not produced men with real wisdom for a very long time”. True, that.
      In Britain the sacrifices of Bomber Command are a national treasure (measure) of their, British, valor. The truth is that fully one third of Bomber Command aircrew were Canadian, and a very significant portion of the rest were other colonials, or Brits born elsewhere (Guy Gibson; India).
      Churchill for all his qualities, and he had many, had some terrible faults; he was a military nincompoop.
      Hard times produce hard men
      hard men produce good times
      etc.

      1. Sad testimony to the scummy Brits always claiming the Valor of the Colonials.
        Even Churchill admitted with out the Convoys of Food from Canada, and the USA, Britain would have fallen very fast.

  11. If you truly want an insight give this a read. “The Anglo American Establishment” by Prof Carroll Quigley. Prof. Of History at Georgetown University. His course was mandatory for all US Foreign Service and Diplomats etc. He covers from Cecil Rhodes until the 1970’s. How the British Empire Fell, but survived in the US/Canadian/Australian and NZ Foreign Policy created during the WW1 and how the UK infiltrated during the WW2. And well into the current era. You see it alive in the criminal Prime Minister Blair murderous Foreign Policy and with Bill Clinton and the creation of the current New World Order. This was the real New World Order that George Bush 1 was always yapping about. The Davos Elite Trash grew out of this mess. http://www.carrollquigley.net/pdf/The_Anglo-American_Establishment.pdf

Navigation