Which era in history best mirrors our own?

[mathew101281]

I’d say their are a lot of parallels between, the first half of the 20th century, and our time. Massive technological transformations combined with massive political and social change.

[Psimitar]

The latter part of the Roman Empire right before it collapsed in on itself under the weight of its own corruption.

[Banner]

The last days of Rome.

[Kirby101]

Gilded Age of 1890s when Robber Barons controlled the country and income inequity was high.

[cable guy]

The latter part of the Roman Empire right before it collapsed in on itself under the weight of its own corruption.

Without a doubt I'd go with this.

[BroHomo]

Early 2000s

[PwrdOn]

People tend to overdramatize the "Fall of Rome" as some end of history event, when it would have been barely noticeable to people living at the time. The collapse of the Western Empire was more of just an elite replacement where barbarian kings displaced Roman military officials, which were by that time mostly of barbarian descent themselves as the senate and Italian aristocratic class had long lost any real power. The barbarians tried to retain as much of the structure of Roman civil and religious administration as possible, and while hindsight shows that they failed in this attempt, it was more of a slow decline over several centuries, rather than a sharp break between a glorious ancient past and a miserable medieval future.

[maninthemacintosh1606]

Gilded Age of 1890s when Robber Barons controlled the country and income inequity was high.

Have you read the book The Gilded Age by Mark Twain and Charles Warner?

[The Darknight Detective]

People tend to overdramatize the "Fall of Rome" as some end of history event, when it would have been barely noticeable to people living at the time. The collapse of the Western Empire was more of just an elite replacement where barbarian kings displaced Roman military officials, which were by that time mostly of barbarian descent themselves as the senate and Italian aristocratic class had long lost any real power. The barbarians tried to retain as much of the structure of Roman civil and religious administration as possible, and while hindsight shows that they failed in this attempt, it was more of a slow decline over several centuries, rather than a sharp break between a glorious ancient past and a miserable medieval future.

True. It wasn't all about corruption, either. One of the big reasons why Rome died was the adoption of Christ in place of the Roman gods, since the early Christians were more concerned about the afterlife than the expansion or even continuation of the Empire.

[The Darknight Detective]

Gilded Age of 1890s when Robber Barons controlled the country and income inequity was high.

Gates and Bezps look like pikers next to their 19th century counterparts. Rockefeller and Carnegie between them had over a half of a trillion dollars when adjusted for inflation.

[maninthemacintosh1606]

Gates and Bezps look like pikers next to their 19th century counterparts. Rockefeller and Carnegie between them had over a half of a trillion dollars when adjusted for inflation.

Capitalism leads to greater and greater monopolisation, we now live in a time where wealth disparity is on par with the worst cases of slave economies and corporations are considered (legal) persons and money is considered a form of speech. All 'gilded ages' have a bust in proportion to the boom.

[The Darknight Detective]

Capitalism leads to greater and greater monopolisation, we now live in a time where wealth disparity is on par with the worst cases of slave economies and corporations are considered (legal) persons and money is considered a form of speech. All 'gilded ages' have a bust in proportion to the boom.

Again, the top billionaires today don't compare to the richest from the 19th century in real dollars. It's not even close. Now if all those anti-monopoly laws and acts since then weren't in place, then today's richest would be comparable to the Robber Barons of old, if not richer.

[Scott Taylor]

The late 1970s without a doubt.

[The Darknight Detective]

Polarization-wise, the current era resembles the beginning of the American political parties and the Civil War.

[TriggerWarning]

Late 2000's. Half the country lost their mind over a presidential election and had an eight year temper tantrum. History repeated itself in 2016 and now the other half has lost its mind and having a to date 3 year temper tantrum.