Although the successes and triumphs of empires in history cannot be overlooked, even the greatest of them have fallen; namely, the British Commonwealth, the Persian Empire, and even the Roman Empire. The mentioned empires and more have made monumental and pivotal contributions to society; even now many can still see some of the influences that they made. At their acme, many, if not all, were large and powerful. However, in the end, even the greatest made crucial mistakes and suffered the consequences.
These errors varied from committing the fatal sin of hubris to just not having the right leader in charge. Because of the faults that they made, these empires were eventually eaten up by corruption, war, and rebellion. The question is: can one create a lasting, benevolent empire?
…show more content…
As Marcus Aurelius, the last of the Five Good Emperors of Rome, once stated, “Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too” (Aurelius). History sets a precedent for empires; successful and prosperous in the beginning, but even the greatest will see deterioration in their almost perfect system. Take the Mongol empire for example. When Genghis Khan unified the clans to create formidable army, the Mongols were unstoppable. Within 100 years, the Mongol empire became the biggest in the world, even reaching all the way to the outskirts of Europe. Nonetheless, after Genghis Khan passed away, a flaw in the political system led to the deterioration of this great