Of the U.S. and Rome

Odd how Rome continues to spook the American imagination. Interventionists and cold war warriors invoke the ancient empire as an example of world order that the U.S. must help impose. On the other hand, Rome is also invoked by those who see the Decline of the West in every long-haired head and every puff of pot.

Speaking to Midwest news editors in Kansas City, President Nixon referred to federal buildings in Washington and said: "Sometimes when I see those pillars, I think of seeing them on the Acropolis in Greece. I think of seeing them also in the Forum in Rome--great stark pillars--and I have walked in both at night. I think of what happened to Greece and Rome, and you see what is left--only the pillars. What has happened, of course, is that great civilizations of the past, as they have become wealthy, as they have lost their will to live, to improve, they then have become subject to the decadence that eventually destroys the civilization. The United States is now reaching that period."

To be sure, Nixon quickly went on to express his confidence that the nation has the "vitality, courage and strength" to remain morally and spiritually healthy. Despite this upbeat note, the overall effect was one of instant Spenglerism.

It was an odd allusion for an incumbent President who presumably must build a case for reelection. If there really is an inexorable process that dooms civilizations, can Richard Nixon--or any President--halt it? There are indeed a great many alarming symptoms in the U.S. that suggest loosening morals and declining will. But decadence is a big word, historical parallels are treacherous, and time frames too easily ignored. The decadence of Rome was proclaimed by many after the end of the Republic in 44 B.C. It took four centuries before the Visigoths sacked Rome in 410 A.D.

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