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What if the Roman Empire never declined? Where would we all be today and what sort of differences would there be? These are a few questions I ask myself when I think about Rome and its demise. Many things would be different today and history would have taken a different route on its long and bumpy journey.

Simply, there isn't an exact answer to my questions but assuming that the Roman Empire survived more or less at its peak during Trajan's time and continued on progressing as it had, fending off its enemies and miraculously having relatively strong, wise leaders interested in the greater good of the empire rather than their own personal gain and glory. There were many others who also wanted to be emperor, however with Rome being free of the constant usurping intrigues and civil wars brought about by the constant struggle, there were many other powerful Romans wanting to be Emperor.

The only way I could see that realistically happening in that time period is if somehow the Romans maybe would come up with a type of Constitution and return to their republican ways where all of the various nationalities and races were considered equal and all people of the empire had satisfactory representation in government. I sit here laughing just thinking about it because it was not the "Roman way." Their self perceived superiority got them into a lot of trouble throughout their history. Let's also assume they remained Pagan because with the adoption of Christianity it really seems like many doors in the area of science, medicine and technology were closed, because instead of instilling a degree of national unity by adopting Christianity it actually created a lot of religious fervor by a lot of uneducated people which of course turns science and technology into heresy and witchcraft. Assuming this happened to some degree we can postulate what might have happened.

At the time of Trajan, Rome was by far the most advanced and well organized nation in the Western Hemisphere. Its armies were adaptable and flexible. There are technological advances made by the Romans that were absent from the world since their fall and were not seen again till modern times. There are advances that we still have yet to discover as well. Science, technology and learning were accepted and sought out. Rome's neighbors for the most part feared these things. They all coveted Rome's wealth.

Rome at the time was big and unwieldy, hard to manage with the slow transportation and communication systems, so I would predict a stagnant or very slow expansion of the empire but with fertile environment for technological advancement and learning. It is clear that Rome would have at the very least could have through annex or conquest controlled all of Europe and the Middle East given that their expansion was tempered by well managed consolidation and assimilation of the conquered territories and people.

Ultimately it is safe to say that the human race in today's age would be at least two hundred to four hundred years more advanced than we are now. This would mainly be the case because with the fall of Rome and with the beginning of the Dark Ages-science, medicine, education, sanitation, personal hygiene and technology for the most part was put on hold or all together wiped out by the Barbarians that shunned or feared these things. Finally that would have set all of us back.

I believe that the Earth's population would be much higher due to less people dying of plagues and sickness as well as lower infant mortality rates. In the long run the world would have been better off if Rome had survived. They carried their laws, education and advancements everywhere they went. If only they were more into assimilating rather than subjugating to those they conquered perhaps they may have been able to create a nationalism that united all peoples, however, like I said before this would not have been the Roman way.

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9y ago

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