610. Empires of Trust by Madden. I have learned so much from this book. Interestingly I have learned a great deal about both the Romans and the United States. He corrects the view of those who use circumstances and problems of the late imperial period and apply those to circumstances here in the USA. Our economy is very strong. We have a GDP of 14 Trillion dollars per year. By the late Roman Imperial period their economy was in shambles and the military as powerful as it was worked under constant pressure. Our military is the most powerful in the history of the world. One fact should make this clear. All the navies of the entire world combined are very small and do not equal the US Navy.
The last statement demands explanation. Why in heavens sake should we or do we have armed forces so powerful, so overwhelming that no country could possibly threaten us? The answer to this takes us to the Romans.
But which period of Roman history? That history of the Roman Republic from 300 BC to 150 BC. And this forces the discussion to the make-up and character of the Roman people. His assessment is this. Romans ended the monarchy and set up the Republic. A very healthy respect for the dangers of kingship stuck with them for centuries. Romans were primarily farmers in the beginning and even after they became wealthy and powerful and not necessarily farmers, that aspect of life was always admired and revered. Romans revered private property and held it practically sacred. A sense of isolation was sought out and desired by each family. This is emphasized in their strong sense of property lines and sanctity of ownership. A strong sense of community developed which protected this right to privacy. Romans as a people extended this to dealings with others. The only reason they became involved with neighbors or foreign powers was because they came under attack or their security was threatened. There are some strong connections between the Roman reliance on family and strong moral values and a friendly division between what is mine and what is yours. We also chucked out a king. We also want to be left alone. We also highly regard thrift, hard work and a healthy respect for agricultural pursuits. There is an easy test for this. No politician would stand a chance running for president in this country whose platform marked agriculture as insignificant or meaningless.
Romans are often viewed by the uninformed as warmongers. Look at that huge Empire they put together. Huge even by modern standards. They had a master plan. The only explanation shout those who hold up the Romans to ridicule and shame is that conquest was ever on the mind of Romans. Those who say such things fail to realize that that master plan took 300 years. Some master plan. The actual story is more subtle and useful for us.
If you need numerous example, you will need to read the book. I will give one brief example here. The Romans fought three wars against Carthage. These are called the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Punic Wars. In the 2nd Punic War Hannibal, a Carthaginian commander invaded Italy. He had thundering success against the Romans. During the war the Romans learned that Hannibal sought an alliance with the King of Macedonia. Macedonia was only a few miles away from the eastern side of Italy. When the Romans learned of the planned alliance, they sent an army to prevent it. The army did not remain. The Romans departed when the 2nd Punic War ended in 202 BC. After the 2nd Punic War in 200 BC, cities in Greece fearful of attack by the kingdom of Macedonia asked for assistance from the Romans. The Romans came, pushed back the king of Macedonia and then withdrew all of their forces in 197 BC. Later in 172 BC again allies asked for assistance. Rome sent an army. Defeated the aggressor and again returned to Italy in 168 BC. All forces were removed. In 148 BC war came again, Rome sent an army. This time they left security forces to prevent further wars.
If the Romans were lovers of conquest, they never would have left the first time. The empire Roman made was not an empire of conquest but an empire gained in spite of their desires. In fact alliances were made, wars were fought primarily because the Romans wished to be left alone. Yes, they made mistakes. They did sometimes what they should not do. The empire came about because making an alliance with Romans meant something. It meant that they would support and help when called. It meant that agreements meant something and that Romans would stand by them. Roman power could be trusted. Romans had an empire of trust.
Macedonia and other events taught the Romans something which they never forgot. Wars will cease, if they become so powerful that no one can oppose them or threaten their survival. By the end of the 3rd Punic War, Roman armies were invincible. Madden claims that in a way the Pax Romana began here. He may be too optimistic. But he has a point.
Romans too had allies who constantly complained about Romans being overbearing, unfair, discourteous and negligent. Madden suggests that the very fact that allies could complain and send embassies bring loads of grips and complaints indicates that Romans knew restraint and practiced it diligently.
We need a parallel here. World War I came along. It took us a long time to decide to enter the war. It came after a German sub sank a ship with Americans on it. We entered the war. Germany was defeated. Every single US soldier came home. If we wanted an empire of conquest, that was the moment to assert ourselves. We came home. World War II came. We were attacked. We entered the war. This time we fought the war on two, some would say three major fronts. This time we stayed. But true to US characteristic, we formed an alliance- NATO.
The United States and the Roman Republic appear to have made a decision that peace could only be made by maintaining a force so superior that no country or power could resist. This was/has been coupled with a sense of restraint and responsible use of power which made/has made the Roman Republic and the US desirable allies.
Only two empires of trust have existed so far in the history of the world: The Roman Empire and the American Empire.
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