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John Michael Greer

Decline and Fall: The End of Empire and the Future of Democracy in 21st Century America Paperback – April 1, 2014

by John Michael Greer (Author)

4.5 90 ratings

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The political theorist and author of After Progress examines the future of U.S. dominance on the world stage in this persuasive and provocative book.

The decline and fall of America's global empire is the central feature of today's geopolitical landscape. How we respond to this reality will determine much of our future trajectory, with implications that reach far beyond the limits of one nation's borders. In Decline and Fall, John Michael Greer examines the path we’re on and presents a persuasive challenge to the conventional wisdom of empire.

Rather than asking if today's American empire should survive, Greer asks whether it can―and goes on to demonstrate that the answer is "no.” After exploring the inevitable consequences of imperial collapse, Decline and Fall proposes a renewal of democratic institutions as the only constructive way forward.

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Print length

304 pages
Language

English
Publisher

New Society Publishers
Publication date

April 1, 2014
Dimensions

6 x 0.61 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0865717648
ISBN-13

978-0865717640
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Customers find the book informative and compelling. They appreciate the intellectual analysis and insightful commentary on the future. Readers describe the writing quality as well-written without technical jargon.

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14 customers mention "Value for money"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book compelling and interesting. They say it's worth reading, the best essay that describes the current state, and one of the great sages of the time period. The first half of the book makes many incisive points.

"...For better or worse, all good things come to an end. His book is convincing and compelling. A must read for anyone that can stomach the truth...." Read more

"...has three Chapters that I found to be very informative and the best part of the book – so, to elaborate a bit:..." Read more

"...John Michael Greer is brilliant in his analysis of empires!! It’s a must read!!" Read more

"...An excellent book." Read more

11 customers mention "Information quality"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-written. They appreciate the author's sound understanding of history and insights on what's to come. The book is described as an excellent introduction to the author's book.

"...He addresses the most important social, political and economic factors that are driving our country to its final days and can be read, by those that..." Read more

"...of those rare people who can really think independently and provide significant insights into the central issues facing humanity and the planet...." Read more

"...John Michael Greer is brilliant in his analysis of empires!! It’s a must read!!" Read more

"John Michael Greer is a fine and able writer with a sound understanding of history...." Read more

6 customers mention "Thought provoking"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and thought-provoking. They appreciate the author's incisive points and how it looks at the British Empire's gradual collapse.

"Gosh, where do I start? John Michael Greer's book is more than eye-opening. It's, well "revolutionary"!..." Read more

"...Otherwise, I found the book to be informative and thought provoking...." Read more

"I liked how Greer took a good look at how the British Empire slowly collapsed and contracted and compared it to the US now...." Read more

"The first half of the book is interesting and makes many incisive points...." Read more

3 customers mention "Writing quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality. They find the analysis well-written, with thought-provoking insights. The author is praised for his talent and ability to write in a clear prose without technical jargon.

"...My gratitude to this very talented author." Read more

"...John Michael Greer, in a fine prose absent technical jargon, speaks to us of that future which is soon to befall us. An excellent book." Read more

"A good analysis, well written, with some thought provoking insights even for those familiar with peak oil lore...." Read more

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Harry S. Coverston
Thoughtful, Troubling, Hopeful
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2017
Verified Purchase
Excellent discussion of where we've been, where we are and where we could be going as a country. Avoids partisanship even as it is critical of the players who have brought us to where we are. We need badly need this big picture analysis even if we do not want to hear this modern day Jeremiah any more than the contemporaries of the original prophet wanted to hear his prescient critique. I hope more people will read, mark and inwardly digest this thoughtful, troubling but ultimately hopeful vision of an American empire in decline. My gratitude to this very talented author.

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S. Williams
Eye-opening!
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2014
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Gosh, where do I start? John Michael Greer's book is more than eye-opening. It's, well "revolutionary"! Greer presents a history of the American Empire (not too dissimilar from the Roman or British Empires) and provides a compelling argument as to why and how the Empire is in its twilight. He addresses the most important social, political and economic factors that are driving our country to its final days and can be read, by those that aren't afraid of reality, as a respectable 'call to arms' of what we should be doing and thinking about as our global rule nears its last breath. His theory is bi-partisan and isn't a muck-racking of any political party specifically. It's a good ol' intellectual analysis using Plebius and Aristotle's time-tested theory of the cyclical evolution of nations (anacyclosis). For better or worse, all good things come to an end. His book is convincing and compelling. A must read for anyone that can stomach the truth. Get ready, folks, we're coming in for a landing and it might not be so smooth!

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RedDevilMutt
Excellent insight regarding "Empires"
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2014
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Although I’ve followed political and environmental issues for years, I’ve no expert credentials for critiquing this book. I’m offering this review simply from the perspective of an ordinary reader and how persuasive I found the author’s arguments and assertions. As this book is also political in nature, I should disclose a liberal leaning but also a fair amount of disappointment with both political parties.

At the beginning of the book, Mr. Greer explains “This book is an attempt to start a conversation ….. about the end of American empire and what will come after it.” And, at the end of the book, he writes “Thus one of the central tasks before Americans today …. is that of reinventing America: of finding new ideals ……. in an age of deindustrialization and of economic and technological decline.….. that doesn’t require promises of limitless material abundance…. that doesn’t depend on the profits of empire ……. or by stripping a continent of its irreplaceable natural resources …...”

The partial quotes above greatly appealed to me as I’ve long been uncomfortable with the idea that the USA has 5% of the global population and yet consumes 25% of global resources. The notion of “American Exceptionalism” as justification for this imbalance strikes me as simple arrogance. Also, as I’m convinced that our rate of natural resource depletion is unsustainable, I welcome a book that offers analysis, insights and predictions related to these issues.

In his prologue, Mr. Greer explains the nature and historical origins of “Empires” and demonstrates how an empire’s “Wealth Pump” operates. I thought this was an excellent introduction to his book.

Part one of the book, The Course of Empire, has three Chapters that I found to be very informative and the best part of the book – so, to elaborate a bit:

In chapter 1, The Origins of American Empire, the author provides a good review of America before and after colonization. He talks about the expansion of the US to its current borders, why we quit expanding beyond those borders and the geographic divisions he labels “New England, Tidewater, and Frontier Cultures”.

In chapter 2, The Struggle Over Empire, deals with the civil war, its aftermath, and other events into the early 1900s that shaped the basic features of both a “Global Empire” and an “Empire of Time” which is about the fossil fuels industry. He discusses popular political theories of the era that propelled and justified the building of an empire.

In chapter 3, the author gets into a fair bit of military history – especially related to the rise and fall of the British Empire. He explains the role of geopolitical theory in the World Wars and how the US embraced this theory to strategically position military forces around the globe. He believes the pursuit of this theory has now brought the US to a turning point in its history.

Part Two, The Widening Gyre has four chapters: The Failure of Politics, The Economic Unraveling, The Specter of Defeat and The Consequences of Collapse. In these chapters, Mr. Greer puts forth a theory of repeating political patterns that lead to collapse and he feels that the US Government is now adhering to these historical patterns and is facing a crisis of legitimacy. He suspects the US Government might either default on its nation debt or hyper inflate the debt out of existence. He discusses the evolution of military technology and why he feels the US dependence upon “gasoline warfare” could be an Achilles Heel. The author thinks that issues surrounding nuclear deterrence, US client states, and our southern border will be significantly impacted by the decline of US global power.

Part Three, A Republic, If You Can Keep It, has 3 chapters dealing with the future of the US after the decline of the American Empire. There is also an Afterword: A Choice of Tomorrows. I found part three and the afterword to be both challenging and disappointing. Challenging because the author caused me to think deeply about many of my core beliefs for dealing with our problems and disappointing because I felt this part of the book expressed much more opinion and bias than good research and analysis. Given one’s political predisposition, some readers might be quite comfortable with Mr. Greer’s assertions.

In my experience (I’m older than dirt), I find that most people won’t set ambitious goals and attempt difficult solutions unless they really understand what problem they’re trying to solve or opportunity to exploit. In the author’s view, we a have a huge problem with potentially monumental consequences, about which most people are clueless. And yet, we do still have an opportunity to navigate a better path for the future. I think Mr. Greer is one of those rare people who can really think independently and provide significant insights into the central issues facing humanity and the planet. I give him great credit for that; but wish he would focus more on the history-nature of the problem and less on the solutions he favors – austerity, small government, a certain brand of localism, his educational systems reforms, etc. Near the end of the book the author talks about the value of exploring a variety of options as we search for effective solutions. I think that’s a great idea that shouldn’t be thwarted in advance with any particular agenda.

I recommend reading the book because I think that Mr. Greer has an important message that is seldom explained with such clarity. However, I also suggest separating the chaff from the wheat. The central thesis of his book is that the American Empire is totally dependent upon relatively cheap and abundant energy from fossil fuels and can’t maintain its superiority once these fuels become more expensive and scarce. He suggests that there is still time to avoid the usual historical pain suffered by most empires as they collapsed - if we can learn from those historical lessons and start now to rationally change our national behavior. He recognizes the enormity of this transition and suggests we may very well still suffer the usual consequences.

If using less fossil fuel is a way to ease this transition, it would have been helpful to see a brief analysis of the three major ways in which the US consumes these fuels and what could extend these resources – roughly a third each: transportation, heating-cooling buildings, and industry-agriculture. As a thought experiment for conserving these fuels, we might consider some behaviors that could actually help avoid the collapse of human civilization as-we-know-it and save the environment from devastation. Such ideas as eliminating war as a means of dispute resolution; abolish environmentally damaging recreational activities such as NASCAR racing; establish a governor-controlled, mandatory national speed limit of 35 mph for all motor vehicles to encourage mass transit and NEV-HPV for local needs; mandate Passive-House standards for all buildings; ban a wide range of environmentally damaging practices in industry and agriculture; provide free birth control and abortion services to everyone to humanely reduce global population; offer free universal education-health services to defuse unrest due to inequality and help raise environmental awareness. Whether one agrees with this sort of agenda or something radically different, if we take the author’s thesis seriously it’s clear that Business As Usual won’t cut it: "it’s a safe bet that [the final crisis] will mark the end of what, for the last sixty years or so, has counted as business as usual here in the United States.". His personal vision for an alternative to Business As Usual seems focused on Libertarian ideals of austerity and small government. A word search of the book shows that “largess”, as in government largess, and “trough”, as in feeding trough, are used a dozen times. “Inequality” doesn’t show up. Also, his focus on the amount of government debt as an impediment for government action seems excessive as it doesn’t take a lot of money to build fewer weapons systems, have fewer babies, drive slower and ride a bicycle more, eat less meat, have a vegetable garden, or turn down the thermostat.

There is no shortage of proposed solutions for our global problems – Mr. Greer’s or otherwise. I think the primary issue is how to convince a critical mass of humanity that there’s a real problem that requires drastic solutions. Given sufficient motivation, people can generally be counted upon to set goals and test solutions. What’s lacking now is the motivation part - and it seems to me that Mr. Greer does a very good job of helping to engender this motivation – particularly in regard to understanding how the “Empire” issues contribute to the real problems facing humanity and the planet. However, instead of grumbling about “feeding troughs”, I’d find it much more useful to read an analysis of why it’s so hard for most people to understand the issues he raises. For example, what role does early childhood indoctrination of religious, political and economic ideologies play in this inability to see reality? Are greed, power lust, and aggression insurmountable human traits? What else is blinding us from seeing the obvious and preventing us from agreeing to cooperate to avoid some very nasty consequences over the coming decades? What are the roots of our delusions about our role in the world?

I’m not saying that Mr. Greer’s opinions about the merits of small government and such are categorically wrong (maybe he’ll even be proven right) – he just didn’t convince me. Otherwise, I found the book to be informative and thought provoking. His final words are “Those of us who see the potential, and hope to help fill it, have to get a move on.” I agree.

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Bezos PlebBot
Spot on and excellent.
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
If you, like me, are certain that the American Empire is declining, you cannot find a better book for the ideas and concepts involved with navigating that decline. Greer does a great job of it. I've already read this book twice in the last month, just to make sure I absorb everything he has to say.

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Kay Ann Tekle
Brilliant Analysis!!
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2021
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I found this book unable to put down. I’m laughing one minute and crying the next. John Michael Greer is brilliant in his analysis of empires!! It’s a must read!!

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Randall S. Ellis
The Fate of Our Post-Industrial World
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2014
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John Michael Greer is a fine and able writer with a sound understanding of history. We find ourselves, in the words of William R. Catton, "facing a future that is unavoidable." That future will almost certainly be one of strife and conflict and material want for much of our world. John Michael Greer, in a fine prose absent technical jargon, speaks to us of that future which is soon to befall us. An excellent book.

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Anthony Valterra
Brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2014
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JMG is one of this time periods great sages. I don't agree with him on everything but I do 90% of the time. His work is clear sighted, as unbiased as a human can be and shows a prodigious command of history and a deep understanding of ecology and systems theory.
I would complain that the book is too short but fortunately he writes a weekly blog where you can continue to read his insights.

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Anth_lynxcrafts
Better than expected, covers ideas I never considered
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2019
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I liked how Greer took a good look at how the British Empire slowly collapsed and contracted and compared it to the US now. One thing I don't think he covers enough is that the US still has an abundance of natural resources other than oil, so it may be a long time before we make the changes we need to.

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helen highwater
don't buy this book if you read the Archdruid Report
Reviewed in Canada on April 17, 2014
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I would never have bought this book if I had known that it is basically just the regular columns that John Michael Greer has been writing on the Archdruid Report blog. As far as I am concerned it was a complete waste of money because I had already read just about everything in it on Greer's blog. The advertising for this book should at least have told me that, so I didn't need to waste my money on something I had already read.

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R. G. Bedwell
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2015
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Very well written, enjoyable and highlights some thought provoking processes that need to happen before the collapse.

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