MANY ARE LOOKING FOR HISTORICAL EXAMPLES OF DECLINE THAT PARALLEL THE CURRENT PLUNGE IN THE US...
SOME USE ANCIENT ROME...OTHERS ARGENTINA...OTHERS GERMANY IN THE 20'S...
BUT ONE EXCELLENT EXAMPLE IS POLAND IN THE 16TH AND 17TH CENTURY...
POLAND WAS A LARGE AND POWERFUL COMMONWEALTH IN THE MIDDLE AGES...AND AMAZINGLY... IT WAS A "DEMOCRACY" IN A MANNER OF SPEAKING... AND VERY ADVANCED IN IT'S POLITICAL THINKING FOR IT'S TIME...
TRUE ONLY THE "NOBLES" COULD VOTE... BUT ALMOST EVERYONE WAS A "NOBLE!"..... FOR EXAMPLE A JEW WHO "CONVERTED" TO CATHOLICISM WAS THEREBY "ENNOBLED"...GET THE PICTURE...? OK...
THE POLISH "NOBLES" HAD THEIR "GOLDEN FREEDOMS"....WHICH WAS SORT OF LIKE THE SITUATION IN CALIFORNIA TODAY...IT TOOK A HUGE MAJORITY TO DO ANYTHING...AND ANYONE "NOBLE" COULD VETO EVERYTHING FOR NO REASON...
THE CONCENTRATION OF WEALTH WAS EXTREME...AND THE RICH WERE VERY LAZY AND VAIN AND PROTECTIVE OF THEIR "RIGHTS"...
THEY WERE OFTEN THINKING MORE ABOUT "NATURE" AND CONSPICUOUS DISPLAY....THAN THE NEW CAPITALISM THAT WAS STARTING UP IN WESTERN EUROPE...
EVENTUALLY, FOREIGNERS BEGAN CALLING THE SHOTS...OPTIONAL WARS ENSUED...THEN BANKRUPTCY...
FINALLY, POLAND WAS PARTITIONED BY THE "GREAT POWERS" THAT SURROUNDED IT...AND POLAND "DISAPPEARED" FROM THE MAP FOR ABOUT 200 YEARS...
THERE IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK ON POLAND THAT IS ACCURATE...AND BETTER YET...A PAGE TURNER...
WELL WRITTEN AND READABLE AS ONLY A BOOK BY SOMEONE WHO REALLY KNOWS THE SUBJECT MATTER CAN PULL OFF...
THE POLES WENT THROUGH A PERIOD NOT UNLIKE...INDEED SHOCKINGLY SIMILAR...TO WHAT IS HAPPEN NOW IN AMERICA...READ THE THE LAST THREE CHAPTERS FIRST...! TO FIND OUT WHAT POLAND WAS .... BEFORE IT BECAME A JOKE...
THE BOOK IS CALLED..."THE POLISH WAY"....HERE'S THE LINK AT AMAZON....
VERY WELL WORTH YOUR TIME IF YOU WANT TO SEE HOW A NATION DECLINES...AND EVENTUALLY FALLS INTO OBLIVION....
