Decline and Fall: The End of Empire and the Future of Democracy in 21st Century America
Written by John Michael Greer
Narrated by Kristoffer Tabori
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow, Post-Carbon Institute, and author, The Party’s Over and The End of Growth bracket-right.png
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.
Although writing nearly a century ago, William Butler Yeats could easily be describing the United States today. The central feature of today’s geopolitical landscape is the imminent decline and fall of America’s global empire, and our response to it will determine much of our future, with implications reaching far beyond the limits of the United States’ borders.
Decline and Fall: The End of Empire and the Future of Democracy in 21st Century America challenges the conventional wisdom of empire. John Michael Greer uses a wealth of historical examples combined with groundbreaking original analysis to show how, in the pursuit of political and economic power, the United States has backed itself into a corner, explores the inevitable consequences of imperial collapse, and argues that the only constructive way forward is a renewal of democratic institutions.
Rather than asking whether today’s American empire should survive, Greer shifts the conversation to whether it can survive, and argues persuasively that the answer to the latter question is “no.” An invaluable contribution to the body of speculative post-industrial literature, this book is a must-read for anyone worried about the state of the Union, or who thinks that it is time 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 thirty books including The Long Descent.
John Michael Greer
John Michael Greer has published 10 books about occult traditions and the unexplained. Recent books include ‘Monsters: An Investigator's Guide to Magical Beings’ (Llewellyn, 2001), which was picked up by One Spirit Book Club and has appeared in Spanish and Hungarian editions, and ‘The New Encyclopedia of the Occult’ (Llewellyn, 2003).
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Reviews for Decline and Fall
20 ratings3 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be a good and realistic book that challenges American exceptionalism through a historical context. It is well written, well narrated, and thought provoking. The book also provides enlightening and funny moments. Some readers feel that the energy crisis in the book is smaller than anticipated for the US, as renewables seem more advanced than estimated by the author in terms of price and use.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Enlightening thought provoking and rather funny at times
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Well written and well narrated. A thought provoking piece that challenges American exceptionalism through a historical context.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good and realist book. A lot of circumstances of US treated realistic, not like usual propaganda.
I think though that energy crisis will be smaller than anticipated for US. Renewables seem more advanced then author estimated (price and use)