Nicholas Elmer

A01968377
USU 1320
Why Civilizations Fail

This year we have had the great opportunity to study the rise and fall of many great

civilizations throughout history. All of these great civilizations of the past are just that, of the

past. When a great civilization falls it can be attributed to a couple of reasons. Here are a few of

them. Some civilizations fall due to lack, or overuse of natural resources, other Civilizations fall

due to enemies and some civilizations are not the most stable which can lead to rebellion.

Some Civilizations fail due to lack or overuse of resources. This example is seen

perfectly in the Mali Empire.1 It was growing and thriving under the rule of its leaders. The

decline began under the rule of Mansa Musa. He took for granted the amount of gold that the

empire had and went to Mecca basically handing it out to everybody. Due to the overuse of their

own natural resources, they ran out of money and incurred a great debt. They had gold, and

plenty of it, the problem began when Mansa Musa overused it.

This could also be a danger in today’s world. In today’s world, people use tons of

technology and this needs energy. This causes carbon dioxide emission. There is plenty of

technology, but humanity is overusing it. Niall Ferguson speculates in his book about climate

change and the dramatic effect it is having on the world today. 2 The Roman Empire fell in only a

few decades, climate change and the overuse of the world’s natural resources could easily lead to

the downfall of the great civilizations in power today.

This next one is the most obvious as to why civilizations will fall, because other will

overtake it. For example, the Aztecs were a great civilization. They had created alliances to come

1. David Munk, “Mali” (lecture, USU 1320, Utah State University, Fall 2017)

2. Niall Ferguson, “Civilization: The West and the Rest”, (New York: Penguin Books, 2012), 292
to great power and they were very powerful. The other tribes knew not to mess with the Aztecs.

However, the Spanish were also there. With the Spanish things began friendly, but eventually it

turned into an invasion. Under the rule of Moctezuma II the Spanish invaded. Due to the

invasion of the Spanish the Aztec Empire fell. There were other influences, but they were

microscopic and unimportant. The Aztec Empire wouldn’t have fallen if it weren’t for the

Invasion of the Spanish.3

Many Civilizations fall due to political unrest revolution that tends to follow. As the

famous Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” The Russian

Empire experienced this in 1917. In 1917 their Civil War came to an end, bringing the end to the

Country of Russia.4 Due to the results of World War I and the difference of opinion between

many Russians there was a division in the state, causing contention which led to the Russian

Revolution. This Revolution led to the formation of the Soviet Union and rid the world of Russia

for a couple of years.

The rise and fall of Civilizations is never just by chance, Empires doesn’t just break

overnight. There are always factors and patterns that lead to its downfall. The overuse or abuse

of natural resources can bring a Civilization to its knees. It was seen with the Mali Empire and is

even happening in the world today. Invasions and confrontation from rivals is a big problem and

is most likely the largest cause of failing civilizations. The Death Star never would have

exploded if it was not for the Rebels.5 However, some civilizations don’t even need that outside

push. They can just come crumbling down on themselves.

3. David Munk, “Aztecs” (lecture, USU 1320, Utah State University, Fall 2017)

4. David Munk, “The Ming Dynasty and The Russians” (lecture, USU 1320, Utah State University,

Fall 2017)

5. George Lucas, “Star Wars: A New Hope”, (20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm, 1977)