Day of Empire

A Book Tip. Originally posted in April 2018

Amy Chua’s book “Day of Empire” is about how Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance and Why They Fall

Her thesis is: QUOTE. 

For all their enormous differences, every single world hyperpower in history—every society that could even arguably be described as having achieved global hegemony—was, at least by the standards of its time, extraordinarily pluralistic and tolerant during its rise to preeminence. Indeed in every case tolerance was indispensable to the achievement of hegemony. Just as strikingly, the decline of empire has repeatedly coincided with intolerance, xenophobia, and calls for racial, religious, or ethnic “purity”. But here’s the catch: It was also tolerance that sowed the seeds of decline. In virtually every case, tolerance eventually hit a tipping point, triggering conflict, hatred and violence.

UNQUOTE

She then studies the past hyperpowers to show that this pattern is valid

Part 1 is premodern powers:

* Achaemenid Persia to Alexander the Great

* Imperial Rome

* China’s Tang Empire

* Great Mongol Empire

Part 2 is about the enlightening of tolerance, when, in the West, religious wars slowly gave way to the Enlightenment. She then writes about

* Medieval Spain

* Dutch Republic

* China’s Ming Empire

* Ottomans

* Moguls

* Great Britain

* Transformation of US from upstart to global power

She concludes that: QUOTE

For two and a half millennia, every hyperpower in history has faced the same two formidable challenges: maintaining the tolerance that fueled it rise, and forging common bonds capable of securing the loyalty or at least quiescence of the peoples it dominates. UNQUOTE

Highly readable. Insightful. Highly recommended.

Source: Day of Empire by Amy Chua

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