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Many Say the USA is the Modern Day Roman Empire

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Many say the USA is like the Modern DayRoman Empire, but is it?

 A Comparative Essay by Philip Katz

 Author of Imperator

Copyright 2011

GLOSSARY @ http://www.imperatorbook.com

Despite being separated in time by millennia the United States¶ history and society are

remarkably similar to that of ancient Rome. Naturally there are glaring differences but even in

those differences there are similarities. The principle difference was that Italy was in the center 

of a thriving and dynamic Mediterranean world, whereas the United States was largely isolated

from the western world for much of its history. Had the people of the US been under similar 

conditions we might very well have developed a similar bellicose nature. While there is no way

to determine the exact nature of the conditions under which Rome became an incorporated city,

the agreed upon year is 753 BC. The reason for uncertainty is due to the fact that in 395 BC thecity was sacked and completely destroyed by the Gauls. We do know something of the

geopolitical nature of the period from other sources. Even at that early time the Mediterranean

world was dominated by large empires whose central monarchies held massive resources in

materiel and man power. The shifting coalitions of the Greek city states were also a formidable

force in antiquity in addition to being the foundation of today¶s western world.

In Italy it was the Etruscans that held sway over northern and central Italian peninsula. It is valid

to assume the original tribes that incorporated to form the city of Rome did so in order to pool

resources for the common defense and to free the communities that inhabited the hills and central

valley that made up the city of Rome from the yoke of the Etruscan¶s tyrannical rule.

In America the European powers held sway over the fate of the colonies that would become the

United States of America. Very much like the original tribes of Rome the 13 colonies united to

overthrow the Imperial government which subjected them to military oppression and unfairly

levied tribute.

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Following the founding of Rome in 753 BC, the new Romans formed a council that would come

to be called the Senate and the Assemblies of the People. The Senate was made up of 

representatives from the tribes of Rome that were elected by the citizens to represent their 

interests when governing the city and to oversee the public purse. The Assemblies were meetingsof the people to vote for magistrates and vote on propositions put before them in order to make

laws.

Following the founding of the United States in 1776 AD the Americans formed the congress, a bi

cameral legislative branch of the US government; The Senate, two Senators per State, and the

House of Representatives with the number of Representatives corresponding to the number of 

citizens in the state. Both ³Houses´ meet to consider and vote on legislation and oversee the

 public purse.

Romulus, no doubt a great general, was elected the first king of Rome. He is thought to haveinvited all the dispossessed people of Italy to come and make their home within Rome¶s

territories to help populate the city and provide soldiers for the army. The same can be said of the

early United States with the election of George Washington a great general and the US¶s liberal

immigration policies.

Eventually the Roman¶s elected Monarchy was replaced with the Roman Republic which was

governed by annually elected magistrates instead of the king in addition to the Senate and the

Assemblies (For background info see http://www.imperatorbook.com ).

Having conquered or otherwise acquired possession of the Italian peninsula, Romans embarked

upon a series overseas wars that were defensive in nature or on behalf of her allies. Having

vanquished the Carthaginians and Macedonia, Rome emerged from the three Punic Wars as one

of the ancient world¶s two superpowers, the other being the Persian empire of The Parthians far 

to the east.

Having conquered or otherwise acquired possession of what is now the continental United States,

Americans embarked upon overseas wars that were defensive in nature or on behalf of our allies

and after the Spanish American War and two World Wars the US emerged as one of two

superpowers of the modern world, the second being the Russian Empire of the Soviet Union far to the east.

Upon Rome¶s ascension to the pinnacle of power throughout the western world an

unprecedented period of freedom of movement ensued, insured by Rome¶s Legions and her 

roads, ushering in a golden age for those subjects of the empire in good standing.

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Upon the United States¶ ascension to the pinnacle of power throughout the world an

unprecedented period of freedom of movement ensued, courtesy of the U.S. Navy ensuring

largely peaceful navigation of the world¶s oceans.

In Rome, in the early first century BC, Romans guarded their citizenship jealously and bestowed

it on grudgingly only upon certain prominent men of the Provinces. While Rome had subjugated

the entire Mediterranean Basin¶s population, the citizenship of Rome was for Romans only and

only Romans had say in the way the world was ruled with their votes in the Assemblies. In

addition citizens had the right of appeal to the consul in capital cases and had the right to lodge a

last will and testament with the Vestal Virgins at the Forum Romanum. The allied communities

of Italy were required by treaty to provide soldiers for Rome¶s armies for centuries. These allied

communities constantly agitated for the same rights as Romans of Rome since they had

contributed in a very real and substantial way to Rome¶s success. Following the assassination of 

a leading Roman and advocate for the enfranchisement of the Italian communities, war brokeout. The so called ³Social War´ between Rome with a very few loyal Italian allies and the rest of 

the Italian states was fought in two theaters, north and south and brought suffering to all of the

 people of Italy. After two years of bloody, destructive war the allies were granted the citizenship

and with that the reason for fighting was gone for all but the most implacable enemies of Rome.

For years to come the laws regarding voting rights of the new citizens were skewed against them

sparking periodic political and civil unrest.

In America in the 1860¶s War Between the States raged destroying vast amounts of property and

costing millions of lives. Until that point in the American South, Black Africans and their 

descendants were held as property, worked as slaves, and denied the rights of citizens of theUnited States despite their centuries of contribution to America¶s success. The South was

vanquished by the anti slavery forces of the North and the slaves were freed yet they would

endure a century of efforts to limit their voting and civil rights, sparking periodic political and

civil unrest.

In Rome following approximately 50 years of unprecedented economic growth and undisputed

world domination the mechanism of the state came to be corrupted. Massive wealth was

concentrated in the hands of capitalists who bought the favors of the ruling oligarchy and therebyinfluenced the working of government for their own benefit. This caused the government to

make laws to increase its own power and that of its benefactors at the expense of the people. In

this way the financiers and politicians further consolidated their hold on power and control of the

country¶s resources resulting in the collapse of the Roman Republic and the death of liberty in

Rome.

In America«

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Get the Historical Adventure Novel IMPERATOR by Philip Katz

 Imperator (Victorious General) is the story of Julius Caesar's youth before he appears in the

historical record. The reader witnesses the collapse of the four centuries old Roman Republic

that ruled the World but could not govern its self, through the eyes of young Caesar. It¶s a young

adult, action/adventure/ political intrigue story where the reader is intimately introduced to the personalities that shaped the modern world we live in. The great events are recreated and great

 personalities are reborn as flesh and blood people struggling with the day to day decisions that

would resonate through the millennia. Imperator details the political struggles, the lust for power 

and the ideological fight to preserve Rome by a small group of pragmatic reformers that would

result in Civil War on an epic scale time and time again.

 I mperator gives the reader a fresh perspective on the life story of the man that would rise from

the streets of Rome to the pinnacle of power and world domination. Witness the youth and

adventures of a man whose very name would come to symbolize unrivaled power and become

the coveted title every Roman Emperor to follow would assume, a man whose policy of Clemency toward his enemies would seal his fate on the ³Ides of March´.

Meet the Caesar you never knew! IMPERATOR.

 IMPERATOR is Available in KINDLE, PAPERBACK and HARDCOVER at:

http://www.amazon.com/Imperator-Philip-Katz/dp/0983280002/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0

For more links, signing events, Select Book Stores that carry IMPERATOR and other

Writings by Philip Katz go to:

http//:www.ImperatorBook.com

 Imperator,  by Philip Katz, Copyright 2011.

ISBN-10: 0-9832800-0-2

ISBN-13: 978-0-9832800-0-2

Publisher: Copperhill Media

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