The Decline and Fall of the American Empire (The Real Story Series) [Paperback]

Gore Vidal (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Real Story Series | Publication Date: July 1, 2002

Six essays on the theme of empire and republic, with particular focus on the national security state and the failure of the U.S. economic system./P>

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Odonian Press (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878825003
• ISBN-13: 978-1878825001
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gore Vidal has received the National Book Award, written numerous novels, short stories, plays and essays. He has been a political activist and as Democratic candidate for Congress from upstate New York, he received the most votes of any Democrat in a half-century.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sobering look at Mom's apple pie Empire, April 28, 1998

By 

S. Ferguson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Decline and Fall of the American Empire (The Real Story Series) (Paperback)

It will not be easy for any of us who love our country to face the assertions Gore Vidal makes in this book, but this is exactly what we need to wake up from the current miasma of smoke-and-mirrors spin. Perhaps the proliferation of conspiracy theories is a symptom of what we all suspect, but are in denial about. Vidal confronts us with the cold hard facts: 90% of the disbursements of the federal government go to defense; our language has grown decadent and is used to disguise; the corporations control opinion through the conglomerate media; in 1991, 37% of federal revenues (taxes) came from individuals and only 8% from corporations. Reading this book will be worth the anguish it causes you. If Thomas Jefferson could see that his beloved country was being ruled by an elite through armies of lawyers, lobbyists, and paid-for-scientists, he would warn us all that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance; and this is precisely what Gore Vidal is attempting to do.

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Polemic, March 24, 2002

By 

The Orange Duke "orangeduke" (Cupertino, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Decline and Fall of the American Empire (The Real Story Series) (Paperback)

Gore Vidal has the power to drive conservatives insane, I can't say why, but the mere mention of his name seems to turn them into screaming maniacs, that alone would make this book worth owning. In addition to its value as a heart attack inducer, it is also easy reading, witty and well written. I especially enjoyed his vicious attack on the Christian Church (which he refers to as the cult of the `Sky God'). He is also right on target with his assessment of the pervasive dangerous of corporate power. This slim volume is not a scholarly tome by any means, but Vidal's strength is in the way that he says things, not in the way that he backs up his assessment. Less a stunning indictment than a readable, witty summing up of the Vidal take on several important topics. A superb little pamphlet.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gore Vidal's American Reality Check, July 17, 2001

By 

Kenneth R. Kahn (Baltimore, Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Decline and Fall of the American Empire (The Real Story Series) (Paperback)

The beauty of Vidal's volume is that it establishes signposts, dates, events, places marking historically important events. To say that the American empire is in decline sounds like just more left-wing doctrine. To document that assertion, Vidal places a date--September 16, 1985--during the roaring, go-go, Reagan years--when America changed from a creditor to a debtor nation, and has been there ever since.

Combining dates with events and revealations of the names and identities of the men behind the men in power marks a significant departure by documenting the rise and fall. The fear of accepting the reality of failure is a heavy burden empires must accept. Like the lives of people, empires do not go on forever. Americans cannot imagine a world without American military, political and economic hegemony (this is what happens when one believes the hype).

Vidal traces the history--the 1914 shift of capital from New York to London, the men of power who created American foreign policy, the establishment of the national security state in 1947 and the place of America in the world. He ends with practical solutions to the decline and fall. Vidal's style is hard-hitting, real, well-documented and informed. The volume is worth reading and re-reading. The sinking feeling, the giant sucking sound of America heading south is on every page. The "Decline and Fall" is the ultimate reality check.