"Why Rome Fell with Will Durant | Analyzing the Decline of an Empire"

Join us on a historical and analytical journey through the factors that led to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, guided by the esteemed historian, Will Durant. In this enlightening video, Durant delves into the intricate causes behind one of history's most significant collapses, offering insights into the political, economic, and social forces at play.
This video provides a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the complex factors that shaped the fate of the Roman Empire. Will Durant's expertise makes this exploration of "Why Rome Fell" essential for history enthusiasts, scholars, and those intrigued by the rise and fall of civilizations. Like, share, and subscribe for more historical insights.
#WhyRomeFell #WillDurant #RomanEmpire #HistoricalAnalysis #DeclineAndFall #Civilizations #EducationalVideos #HistoryEnthusiasts

[@marcusagrippa8078]

History doesn’t repeat but it sure does rhyme.

[@MyRealName148]

Mark Twain

[@robgolding5795]

The parallels to contemporary life are incredibly eerie.

[@4FYTfa8EjYHNXjChe8xs7xmC5pNEtz]

"A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within. *The essential causes of Rome's decline lay in her people, her morals, her class struggle, her failing trade, her bureaucratic despotism, her stifling taxes, her consuming wars."* Ring any bells?

[@TheVictoroftheDIY]

And her Libtards?

[@abhimanyukarnawat7441]

@@TheVictoroftheDIY yes. Her libtards.

[@esoteric67]

@jeremy Lyons the right tards forget that is was Reagan that allowed immigrants to come in and undermine the striking farm workers when Governor of California. The right tards favorite Tucker Carlson actually admitted to this . Yes the left is responsible for some but the right is not without fault

[@TeddyKrimsony]

Both Libtards and Republitards can be blamed for part of the decay in the west

[@ddbrady3787]

This is not a class-based analysis. The real cause is increasing poverty of the population, from which all other causes flowed. That poverty, and its increase, was a direct result of the class structure, class interests, and the class war.

[@patriciapalmer1377]

Will Durant, the narrator, writer, and classical scholar conceived of this globally honored and acclaimed, 11 volume empirical, interesting and informative "History of Civilization" in 1912, began writing it in 1935, married Ariel, and they co-wrote it and published for 40 years, seeing individual civilizations as a whole, in their own, and recognizing their broad bases in the narrative. The final volume was completed in 1971; the eleven volumes are extremely well written and researched, as can be heard in this presentation, accurate, relevant and widely read for decades. It should be today.

[@mfenaughty]

Thought you might like to know that the narrator is Grover Gardner. I love his non-fiction narrations.

[@johnmurdoch8534]

A great work...the line about differences turning into "indifference" is great..durant had such a way with words

[@horrhiunioj507]

A nearly exact description of today’s USA. We’ve miserably failed to learn the lessons of history

[@vklnew9824]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3XJfoWnh9OJo5I

[@mishalivchitz6821]

The one thing we learn from the history is that we learn nothing

[@mishalivchitz6821]

@The Dude very much so.

[@jameswill175]

As Shakespeare said, "all the world is a stage". America is going through it's decline by the same method as Rome experienced.

[@arno9233]

America? Top 3 Competitors eu, Russia and China are the ones in real trouble.

[@cringlator]

Read more history friend, don’t fall for the hype

[@cringlator]

@Evan Taylor idk what that means, but I’m reading “The storm before the storm” and it asks the question of how similar America is to the late Roman Republic. Pretty good read so far and I recommend

[@DaHansWars]

Scary, this might aswell be about the western world today.

[@vklnew9824]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3XJfoWnh9OJo5I

[@flannelflower3036]

So ... here we are again! Prophetic indeed.

[@flannelflower3036]

Daniel Ryan Precisely!

[@smallscreentv1204]

yes, cycles... they appear to be inevitable in their conclusion, which makes me think about the US decline, can it be reversed? probably not.

[@scottkraft1062]

Envy and resentment

[@TheWinterShadow]

This parallels with the USA. But unfortunately most Americans are not all that educated on the fall of the Roman Empire.

[@TheElijahMuhammad]

The U.S is falling for the same reason

[@aarona.7422]

Thank you very much for precisely answering my question and for your channel as well. The amount of knowledge, interest in scholars such as the Durants or events that I was unaware of prior to watching ...clarification on many complexed philosophical ideas and historical events. As well as replacing music and radio talk during a drive &c. Aaron

[@xDemonTech]

Second that. Fantastic stuff

[@CashFLG1]

you the man ROCKY C love these Will Durant Videos

[@ShermanHutchisonBMGP]

Much of this stuff sounds similar to contemporary United States conditions.

[@scottg4520]

And just like the Romans the average U.S citizen will do nothing to stop the corruption.

[@abhimanyukarnawat7441]

it's sad.

[@jrm21386]

The entire West, unfortunately.

[@fatgirlboy9341]

Maybe because the narrative is biased against the US

[@jobob47]

yes. it does. the parallels are incredible. or maybe not.

[@Stormbringer2012]

Diet is the number one reason Rome fell. Dairy, meats, eggs, fish were the major staple. This turned to cheap bread which stunted mind and body.

[@marcwatt355]

Prophetic

[@slappy8941]

Those who plant the seeds of civilization also plant the seeds of its destruction.

[@karnubawax]

Yes, as Durant says, communism ends when luxury begins. Once you have freedom from hunger, communism is worthless. And the only people who are attracted to communism are the poor. But the lazy and useless are not to be feared. It's the man who works hard and STILL can't make it who is the real danger. Collectively, they brought down France and Russia.

[@Henreeback]

Good stuff

[@edgarhayduke712]

‘the making of eunuchs increased’

[@abc-hi6df]

eye opening

[@zionistkid]

vegopiggingout how exactly is it eye opening? Would you care to elaborate? I mean bc we already knew rome fell from within, not without, he's just giving us some reasons.

[@firstaidsack]

@@zionistkid not everybody who listens to this is a history expert.

[@malicant123]

Sounds a lot like modern Europe

[@m_b_lmackenzie4510]

Really? What makes you say that?

[@Julio59710]

@@m_b_lmackenzie4510 demographic decline => economic issues => bad politic choices => immigration, class struggle and conflict between locals and barbarians ? I guess this is a good place to begin.

[@faihu]

yup

[@smallscreentv1204]

sounds very 2021...... the lesser men are in charge

[@jsong8282]

This is from The Story of Civilization, volume 3 “Caesar and Christ”, in the Epilogue

[@jaredsongster8555]

No problem Rocky!

[@mrpatriot8279]

I'm reading Caesar and Christ from 1944 but this video is very informative. I have read The Fall of Rome by Dr. Peter Heather with some more up to date theories about the fall of Rome. He's on KZbin as well. Emmett Scott Mohammed and Charlemagne Revisited talks about how Islam destroyed classical civilization.

[@abhimanyukarnawat7441]

So basically usa today.

[@MGoJr]

I am a proud american and its sad to say your right

[@andresjun1856]

says guy with the very american name...

[@glenvillephillips8293]

were walking in the same footsteps to bad most people in the usa are to blind and stupid to see it.

[@abhimanyukarnawat7441]

@@andresjun1856 I'm Indian, never been to USA, but yes, as a conservative I feel bad for the fall of a great civillisation.

[@Randall2023]

Winnipeg Manitoba Canada 🇨🇦

[@aarona.7422]

I really admire and enjoy the Durant's work. I've been listening to these audios for about a year or so while saving up to buy the Story of Civ. Set. Anyhow, Is this upload and others such as Ceasar, Shakespeare &c. Extracts from THE STORY...? Thanks

[@danfaggella]

@Rocky who is the reader? It's a wonderful voice.

[@mariely6747]

@@danfaggella I noticed the voice it is pleasant , i thought it was Will Durant sounded little different.

[@Randall2023]

Dauphin River First Nation Canada 🇨🇦

[@zoesdada8923]

Sounds very familiar.

[@h3egypt]

once rome became an empire it seeded it's own destruction

[@MrAwrsomeness]

Hagag Hamed lol

[@garrettlees]

This all sounds very very familiar...🤔

[@AdrianWyrzykowski]

welcome to modern day society

[@xmaseveeve5259]

Rome never fell. It rebranded.

[@cornerstone723]

America 2017

[@pyratevictro2889]

yeah pretty much. america is going down the toilet and americans don't care enough to save it.

[@knpstrr]

@@pyratevictro2889 "Americans don't care enough to save it" It is precisely Americans causing the problem. It isn't that they don't "care" they are ignorant.

[@odysseus1220]

You should check out 2020

[@brrruuuh8287]

If you just knew how bad thing really is....

[@QuaaludeCharlie]

he Story of Civilization, volume 3 “Caesar and Christ :) QC

[@xualiscompilus6563]

Why Rome fell is the same query as ‘Why does any human go to hell’ or ‘Why does any human ever becomes Evil’

[@KILLRAPEDIE]

This seems familiar 🤔

[@vklnew9824]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3XJfoWnh9OJo5I

[@zildapeixoto5421]

Miguel de Cervantes, um gênio eterno...por fogo em livrarias e escolas?

[@guslevy3506]

In 2000yrs, this will be the exact same video for “How America fell”…

[@SophieBird07]

The how’s and why’s another current day empire is collapsing.

[@jaqatlantic]

Sound familiar?

[@davidfeld22]

It sounds a lot like where the United States is now, and where it's headed.

[@johnmurdoch3083]

America today

[@johnyang2]

Who is actually speaking in this video? Is it actually Will Durant's voice?

[@johnyang2]

Thank you

[@johnyang2]

That's what I figured. I was suspecting that to be the case. Because Will died more than 36 years ago, the sound quality of this recording sounded so crisp and clear I could hardly believe it was Will's voice more than 36 years ago. Will was a great historian, his narration of history was pretty good. But there are certain things he said was somewhat slanted on some debatable matters. Which can be expected on any scholar.

[@zildapeixoto5421]

Crummy staff ramones. Listen.remember.

[@christopheroehrli902]

Where did you get these audio clips? Would love to buy a full Durant audiobook for when I'm driving.

[@christopheroehrli902]

Great, thanks.

[@Meroveeus]

@@DurantandFriends where can I get the Old Books on tape series?

[@user-ez9ng2rw9c]

The people comparing this to the modern west, particularly America, are quite mistaken, in my humble opinion. Rome did not have the technology and structure of today. Furthermore, most of the non American western world are robust democracies. Capitalism, for all it's ills, has insured that no one stays a barbarian for more than a century. All nations eventually fall to greed, and no barbarian nations last too long(china, the new power rising from struggle, has already turned into a demographic losing western style power). If anything, it's worth seeing how similar modern America is to the last days of the Republic of Rome. Filibustering Conservatives preventing badly needed reform, class differences growing quickly and the rich getting absurd amounts of political influence, while the public is effectively manipulated into dancing to the tune of the rich in the name of dogma.

[@firstal3799]

I don't disagree entirely but most non west is democratic? Look at Africa and China and Russia aren't democracies

[@user-ez9ng2rw9c]

@@firstal3799 I'd recommend you read what I wrote again. I wrote non American West, meaning western countries that are non American, not non western countries.

[@firstal3799]

My bad mate. I will add the social process we see in modern America is same as other countries of west. All are pretty similar.

[@user-ez9ng2rw9c]

@@firstal3799 Not exactly. While in the rest of the west, social and political progress has become the norm, mostly due to a series of events which put an in built fear of change in America and created a lot of single factor problems(usually as a result of political manipulation), other countries, like in western europe, just progressed on. America is now pretty much a political and social backwater by a first world standard. Change is the only constant in a successful country. America has let fear of it grab at its heart so much that half of its population not only hates change, a decent amount also wants to go back to older times.

[@firstal3799]

And that fear of change is not present in Ponad, Hungary, Czech ( although you can dismiss this just as not really west . Or in UK or in France? You seem to have a very idiosyncratic view ( not necessarily wrong ( and you treat that as an established fact. I can see you are a Democrat. Lost of Europe doesn't has deep appreciation of libertarian ideas. Hardly anyone in Europe who understand the concepts that's why less hard positions on right there. Also minority popukation is much less significant in europe compared to America. Specifically this video talks about demographic change as the factor that led to decline of Rome * amongst other factors) This important factor is present in both US and Europe.

[@shawnburnham1]

14:00

[@mentalcompassno1]

Wait, this sounds familiar

[@karnubawax]

This is pretty much America in 2020. Durant is a genius.

[@benquinneyiii7941]

The contradictions in the system

[@StefanTravis]

Truly, historians tell us more about themselves than their subjects.

[@onedone2011]

Nah

[@user-zy9bp6no3z]

17:47 😅

[@robert1702]

who are the rapidly breeding Orientals?

[@TeddyKrimsony]

arabs in italy, original italians were europeans, the entire ethnic makeup of italy changed and italy is failing to this day

[@wolfie71231]

To my friends in the U.S. -- any of this sound familiar?

[@DurantandFriends]

I've had that feeling of myself of the benevolent dictator

[@davemojarra4734]

Grover Gardner sounds as if he has a cold.🤧

[@firstal3799]

Yes I thought the same

[@jeffreystreeter5381]

I thought this was the downfall of the USA....great job. This needs taught in school.

[@bill6687]

7:08 Twitter

[@vaughnlonganecker986]

No, the greatest question before man isn't about a dead empire but the living God, how is man reconciled with Him?

[@slappy8941]

Stop believing in myths.

[@vaughnlonganecker986]

@@slappy8941 this is convincing and convicting evidence, how many converts have you had with these compelling words? What is compelling is that you soul even testifies to the truth of God and that you are to be glorifying Him, in those quiet alone moments that you used to have (Rom. 1:18-20) but you may have given yourself over to the worlds ways and your self so that the selfish god is who rules. What truth do you convince yourself of, "stop believing in myths." that you give absolutely no evidence or proof to? Repent and believe in the only hope you and everyone have. (Jn. 14:6; I Cor. 15:6) (are there some critics who discount the historical record of the Bible, absolutely, but they do not use the same criteria for historical accuracy for the Bible as they do for all other historical record. When they are honest, and many are, the secular historians admit there is no equal among antiquity of record of history, none. The Bible has the most, over 20,000 documents, the closest, w/i ~7 to 14 years of Jesus resurrection, and the most historically complete and accurate with vast number of names, events, places, that are verified by archeology, other historians, and external documentation and even astrological events. "myth", you don't know what your talking about and haven't looked at the absolute veracity and "proof" of God speaking to you. Read God's word not just with you mind but with your soul and ask the author to reveal His truth, help you understand that which you doubt or don't believe, He will.

[@harleyg2349]

Wally Reyes maybe mankind can’t ever get along because people like you think you can tell other people what’s morally right or wrong. Live and let live stop pushing YOUR GOD on everyone else

[@vaughnlonganecker986]

@@harleyg2349 I'm passing on what the God who made you said, I'm not telling anyone what I think, it's all His plan and purpose and love and grace and judgement, it's all true, just, holy, pure, listen, your soul is empty of that which only God can fill, your guilty and only God can forgive, your broken and only God can heal, you're in need of love, grace, hope, joy, eternal peace, how can I say all this, because the God who made you knows you, He is the One who says this, listen, He calls, don't harden your heart, don't get angry, argumentative, degrading, get mercy.

[@harleyg2349]

vaughn longanecker I don’t believe in your god. I believe in mine. And you should also.

[@andylyon3867]

In 537-8 sun did not shine, then 150 of cold. So federation of Catholic nations more economicly sensible.

[@peterdollins3610]

Plague brought down Byzantine.

[@bert1234]

The Orientals?

[@6699230]

Rome still exists. Italy is a flourishing society when compared to modern societies. With all it's problems Italy is in the upper echelon of societies. No country in Asia or Africa comes close. Life in London, NYC & Australia-NZ don't compare to Italy.

[@alrawandi8402]

7:13 If this is true, then how did Byzantium survive for another 1,000 years after the fall of Rome? Wasn't Christianity the backbone of the Eastern Roman 'Byzantine' empire and the bloodline of its prosperity until a newer and younger religion took over? How can it be the reason of its decay, anguished misery and desolation in Italy, but inspiration and prosperous enlightenment in Eurasia?

[@edurado1996]

Al Rawandi you need to listen to this video as a WHOLE. He states that “some historians” hold this point of view, but then disputes it at 8:25.

[@MyRealName148]

One would think that with possessing a template of failure to a civilization with stunning similarities, one would avoid the same follies. But nah...

[@MyRealName148]

Don't you mean "non Latin speaking romans" and not barbarians. Romans of Vandelic decent perhaps. #wang

[@slappy8941]

Undocumented Romans.

[@abhimanyukarnawat7441]

@@slappy8941 XD

[@PaulSalamoneComedy]

Move along everyone, nothing to learn from here .... :(

[@tommyodonovan3883]

The main reason Rome fell.... debasement of the currency.

[@lukang72]

These observations could never be written by the ideological and deluded "historians" of our current day

[@andyayala9119]

Biden’s woke Murica

[@firstal3799]

Lol this isn't very political correct

[@christopherkearney3869]

LGBTQ

[@MyRealName148]

Trump>Augustus Patton

[@TeddyKrimsony]

are you fucking serious? trump is the embodiment of what's wrong with the west.

[@EM-tx3ly]

Aurelian defeats them all

[@eckiuME23]

This guy wasn't that bright. If everything cause the fall of Rome, then nothing caused the fall of Rome. Rome never really fell.

[@canyoubeserious]

The narration is insufferable.