PHI THETA KAPPA

What role has affluence played in the rise and fall of civilizations and empires?

Study Questions

1. To what extent is there a connection between affluence and the rise/decline of civilizations and empires (e.g., Rome, China, India, Ottoman Empire, Iroquois Federation, Egypt, Russia, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, etc.)?
2. What lessons do the collapse of formerly affluent civilizations and empires (i.e., Rome, Mayan) have for modern societies?
3. To what extent did the desire for affluence influence expansionism in some civilizations, but not in others?
4. To what extent does affluence of the middle class sustain a culture?
5. How does the absence of affluence contribute to the instability of civilizations and empires (e.g., Soviet Union) ?
6. How did the United States Civil War, the abolition of slavery, and the decline in profits from the sale of cotton affect the long-term affluence of the South? How did the end of Apartheid affect the affluence of South Africa?
7. To what extent was the decline of the British Empire a result of their misuse of affluence? Why are their former colonies more successful today than those of the French and Portuguese?
8. To what extent can one have affluence without being part of “civilization”?
9. To what extent does war contribute to an increase or decrease in the affluence of a society?
10. How does virtue affect affluence in civilizations?
11. How does perceived virtue affect affluence in civilizations? (e.g.
    Ancient Greeks’ view that they were the most reverent, Europeans’ view that they were virtuous in fulfilling the “White Man’s Burden,” Nez Perces’ view that they were the truest guardians of the land.

Honors in Action

Project description: Examine the middle classes of ancient Roman, Maya, Inca, and Egyptian civilizations. What role did each play in sustaining their cultures? Discuss in what ways the middle class roles in each society were positive or negative in terms of sustaining civilization. Hallmarks addressed: Scholarship, Leadership, Fellowship

Project description: Investigate each culture’s preservation of its environment and compare it with your community’s work. Invite history and anthropology faculty to work with you, and together share your findings during a presentation you organize and promote on campus. From your research and presentation, develop a hands-on lesson for a local elementary school, particularly focusing on the environment. Hallmarks addressed: Scholarship, Leadership, Service, Fellowship

Project description: Reference Jackson J. Spielvogel’s list of criteria for civilization. How did each of these components of civilization affect the affluence of the ancient Persian Empire? Select another civilization to compare to Persia’s empire. What are the similarities and differences? Do Spielvogel’s criteria fit both of these civilizations? Imagine the implications for the leaders of these two civilizations if they had known Spielvogel’s criteria. Are there things they might have done to address gaps or deficiencies in meeting the criteria that might have made a difference in the longevity of these civilizations? How might they have accomplished these things? Encourage other chapters in the region to do this project with other civilizations and build a web site for all the chapters to post their work on civilizations. Hallmarks addressed: Scholarship, Leadership, Fellowship

Project description: Research which of the great ancient empires the United States most closely resembles today in terms of its affluence and the paradoxes of affluence present. What parallels do you find? How did the leadership in the ancient empire encourage development and address the paradoxes of affluence? Compare and contrast the leadership in the United States and current policies or proposals related to the development of affluence and addressing the paradoxes of affluence. Invite an economics professor, a political science professor, and a history professor to discuss with the chapter your comparisons and contrasts. Share your research findings with the college community with poster presentations displayed in the library. Hallmarks addressed: Scholarship, Leadership, Fellowship

Project description: Develop a web site about ancient Afghanistan and Afghanistan today, evaluating the civilization using the criteria posited by Jackson J. Spielvogel. What characteristics has the nation maintained since the development of the ancient civilization of Afghanistan? How has the style of leadership changed over time? What are the most changed characteristics? How have wars over time affected the environment in Afghanistan? Share your research with a local National Honor Society chapter. Hallmarks addressed: Scholarship, Leadership, Fellowship

Project description: Research the economic characteristics of Iraq and the United States in 2003 using the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Central Intelligence Agency web sites. To what extent have those characteristics, particularly as they relate to affluence, changed for both nations since 2003? Share your findings by organizing a Town Hall Meeting on the issues related to the past, present, and possible future affluence of Iraq and the United States. Hallmarks addressed: Scholarship, Leadership, Fellowship

Project description: Compare and contrast the affluence of South Africa before, during, and after Apartheid. What changes do you note as a result of the development and elimination of Apartheid? How did the leadership of South Africa change as a result of living with or without Apartheid? What lessons can we learn from South Africa’s example? Share your findings by writing an article for your campus or community newspaper. Hallmarks addressed: Scholarship, Leadership, Fellowship

Project description: Research areas of the world that have achieved affluence, but do not have all the characteristics of a “civilization.” How do these areas define affluence? To what extent does it matter in these cultures? Why and how have these areas achieved affluence? What leadership lessons can we learn from studying these cultures? Share your findings during a series of chapter meeting presentations about the paradox of affluence. Hallmarks addressed: Scholarship, Leadership, Fellowship

Project description: Examine the influence of affluence in rebellions and the rise and fall of civilizations and empires. Do people such as the Founding Fathers of the United States, Gandhi, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony*, Nelson Mandela*, and Aung San Suu Kyi* share common characteristics, philosophies, and/or tactics that are a result of their levels of affluence? Create “Leadership Timelines” for these or other “rebels” seeking to develop a changed civilization, establish an empire, or fell an empire. These timelines should illustrate the development and philosophies and tactics of the movement’s leaders. Share the timelines with other student leaders on campus. Hallmarks addressed: Scholarship, Leadership, Fellowship

Bibliography

Baker, Simon. Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. 2007.

Baker presents the major events that shaped the rise and fall of the greatest empire of the ancient world: the conquest of the Mediterranean, the collapse of the republic, the creation of the empire, repression of any threat to the empire and an internal civil war. Baker uses the individual leaders and other players involved to make the history accessible and personal.

Cantor, Norman F. Antiquity: From the Birth of Sumerian Civilization to the Fall of the Roman Empire. 2004.

Cantor explores the social and cultural history of a range of empires and cultures, including those of the Sumerians, classical Greeks, Hebrews, and Romans, including the founding of Christianity within this civilization. By combining a look at the political, social, cultural, and economic forces of the history of each society, the author discusses common themes in each and the impact they have left for us today.

Ferguson, Niall. Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power. 2003.

Ferguson argues that the British Empire provided law and order (albeit with military might) in the colonies it ruled, but that it took years to do so. He interprets the British presence in the commonwealth as having brought modernity, democracy, and capitalism. The lessons he offers are that nations with a global reach, such as the United States, need to acknowledge that they are committed to providing the leadership and resources necessary to establish law and order, and that fifty years was not long enough for the British to “civilize” Iraq.

Grant, Michael. The Founders of the Western World: A History of Greece and Rome. 1991.

Grant studies the impact of the two peoples who have had the greatest impact on the West: Greece and Rome. He does so by presenting the development of Greece and its relationship with Persia, the impact of Alexander, and the development of Hellenistic Greece. Because his reach includes the political, military, cultural, social, economic and religious life of the time, the reader is provided with a rich context with which to understand how these cultures helped shape the Western world.

James, Lawrence. The Rise and Fall of the British Empire. 1997.

A survey of the entire history of the British Empire, this book emphasizes the role of key individuals involved in the various phases of its existence: creation, maintenance, and dismantlement.

Kennedy, Paul. The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. 1989.

Kennedy examines several examples of empires that have spent too much of their resources on their military and/or maintaining their empire. Kennedy also looks at the possible consequences of the Cold War for the Soviet Union and the United States and sets a context in which to examine the relationship between the internal forces of the empires studied in this book and the international climate at the time.

* material is included in Phi Theta Kappa Leadership Development Studies: A Humanities Approach. This book is available online at www.ptk.org/recognitions/catalog/.