Decline and Fall

The End of Empire and the Future of Democracy in 21st Century America

By: John Michael Greer

Narrated by: Kristoffer Tabori

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

Although he was writing nearly a century ago, William Butler Yeats could just as easily be describing the United States today. The decline and fall of America's global empire is the central feature of today's geopolitical landscape, and the nature of our response to it will determine much of our future trajectory, with implications that reach far beyond the limits of one nation's borders.

Decline and Fall: The End of Empire and the Future of Democracy in 21st Century America challenges the conventional wisdom of empire. Using a wealth of historical examples combined with groundbreaking original analysis, author John Michael Greer:

• Shows how the United States has backed itself into a blind corner in the pursuit of political and economic power
• Explores the inevitable consequences of imperial collapse
• Proposes a renewal of democratic institutions as the only constructive way forward

By shifting the conversation from whether today's American empire should survive to whether it can survive, and arguing persuasively that the answer to the latter question is "no", Decline and Fall makes an invaluable contribution to the body of speculative post-industrial literature. This book is a must-listen for anyone concerned about the state of the Union, or who believes that the time has come to reinvent the American Dream.

John Michael Greer is a scholar of ecological history, an internationally renowned Peak Oil theorist, and the author of more than 30 books, including The Long Descent.

©2014 John Michael Greer (P)2014 Post Hypnotic Press Inc.

Everything you need to know about America

A page turner despite its heady topics of Politics and reform, American history, the environment.

Great info wrong on some economic issues

Lots of great information and a good historic underpinning for the overall theme of the book but why is he still stuck in pre-1971 economics? The USA went off the gold standard in 1971 and 8 would agree with the author's premise if we still were on the gold standard. This is a good read anyway but a bit too neoliberal for my liking. otherwise he's spot on. #LearnMMT

Will insist friends & family read this book

I am a history buff, follow politics (left leaning), globally traveled for work (i.e. aware of what it is like to live outside the U.S.) and an Engineer. I am no fan of doomsday prognostication - especially from right-wing, gun-toting nutcases, but I sincerely believe the author is correct about the near future for U.S. citizens and I plan to prepare for a significant economic "correction" and permenant decline in lifestyle. Not planning on armageddon but it is a good time to learn to live with less. I've enjoyed five plus decades of relative prosperity but the party has to end some time.

The Concise Big Picture View of our Future

Would you consider the audio edition of Decline and Fall to be better than the print version?

The print version might be slightly better, only because the book contains such a stunning wealth of new models for understanding the process of decline of our empire that I would have liked to stop reading or scribble notes in the margin.

What does Kristoffer Tabori bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Kris Tabori has the right sort of matter-of-fact voice for this book. He takes his time--much appreciated.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This is such a rich book that I was glad that my 30 minute commute forced it to be split up. I found myself mulling over the new information throughout the workday.

Any additional comments?

This book starts with a big-picture view of how empires have worked throughout history, and how they decline. The author then takes this concise overview and applies it to the American experience of empire, making reasonable projections about what's likely to happen in the next 20 to 50 years. You can delve into the details of empire in more depth by reading Oswald Spengler's "Decline of the West" and Toynbee-- And certainly I'd recommend them-- But if you want the bottom line on your next 20+ years, this is the book to get!

fantastic!

a great book with a wealth of information and some wonderful insights. i loved it!

John Michael Greer is just a good writer.

JMG knows his way around the English language. Also, much of what he predicted is playing out. While I don't agree with everything he says, I do recognize that his arguments are well reasoned, and that his intentions are aligned with making the future as good as it can be.

Not a good reader, tough start, good finish

Throughout the first couple chapters I almost gave up on this book. The reader's voice was a little too nasal for me and the cadence didn't flow that well. Couple that with I disagreed with some of the author's interpretations of pre-World War I/post-World War I history and I struggled to get through those first 90 minutes to two hours, but I agreed with the premises and by the end I was convinced the author shared some valuable insights with his readers. I think the author lays out a good road map for the future even if I didn't necessarily agree with how we got to today. That makes it a book worth reading, in my opinion, but be prepared for a reader that was a bit tough to listen to. You might want to sample before buying.

Great book

Great and interesting book, that makes you rethink a lot of assumptions about our future

Everything JMG writes is gold.

Loved this book. Has lots of insights, and I am now more concerned with Decline than collapse.

Excellent!

I usually don't write reviews, but I had to for this one because it was so good.