Managing (Possible) Decline: Lessons from Rome’s Survival Through Crises – Talk
Where: Italian Cultural Institute
686 Park Ave.
212-879-4242 Price: Free
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Pandemics, deadly competition with rival superpowers, massive immigration, and internal divisions—these challenges defined the Roman Empire in the third century, much as they characterize the modern West today. However, while Rome in the West eventually “fell” in 476 AD, it endured for centuries in the East, showing that decline can be managed and even reversed when institutions remain resilient and societies embrace change. The striking parallels between the decline (and partial fall) of the Roman Empire and the challenges faced by the modern West remind us that humanity often forgets the lessons from the past.
Join Marco Cappelli, host of Storia d’Italia – one of the leading Italian podcasts – as we explore how Rome navigated these crises through reform, immigration, and assimilation yet faltered when Rome forgot the lessons it had so painfully learned.
As the West faces its demographic, economic, and political challenges, history offers us critical lessons: can we manage our decline and avoid collapse, as Rome did for so long? What makes a society resilient? And what can we learn from Rome’s struggle to integrate new peoples, maintain strong institutions, and avoid the pitfalls of internal strife and external competition?
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