"American Parallels:" From Athens to England

"American Parallels"

This relatively brief discussion of history is worth reading. The author compares America and the contemporary world to similar situations involving England, Spain, Rome, and Athens (Greece). The passing comparison of Sparta and China was one I haven't run into before.

History doesn't repeat itself, quite. But every culture for the five millennia or so* in which we've kept records has been made up of human beings: and certain patterns emerge.

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*So far, the earliest writing found is in Harappa. We call that part of the world Pakistan now. It's not much: some marks on pottery. What the marks mean, we don't know: they could be anything from the name of an ancient deity to Harappan for "flour" and "sugar."