Victor Davis Hanson
American Greatness
Western civilization arose in the 8th century B.C. Greece. Some 1,500 city-states emerged from a murky, illiterate 400-year-old Dark Age. That chaos followed the utter collapse of the palatial culture of Mycenaean Greece.
But what reemerged were constitutional government, rationalism, liberty, freedom of expression, self-critique, and free markets—what we know now as the foundation of a unique Western civilization.
The Roman Republic inherited and enhanced the Greek model.
For a millennium, the Republic and subsequent Empire spread Western culture, eventually to be inseparable from Christianity.
From the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf and from the Rhine and Danube to the Sahara, there were a million square miles of safety, prosperity, progress, and science—until the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD.
What followed was a second European Dark Age, roughly from 500 to 1000 AD.
Populations declined. Cities eroded. Roman roads, aqueducts, and laws crumbled.
In place of the old Roman provinces arose tribal chieftains and fiefdoms.
Whereas once Roman law had protected even rural people in remote areas, during the Dark Ages, walls and stone were the only means of keeping safe.
Finally, at the end of the 11th century, the old values and know-how of the complex world of Graeco-Roman civilization gradually reemerged.
The slow rebirth was later energized by the humanists and scientists of the Renaissance, Reformation, and eventually the 200-year European Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Contemporary Americans do not believe that our current civilization could self-destruct a third time in the West, followed by an impoverished and brutal Dark Age.
But what caused these prior returns to tribalism and loss of science, technology, and the rule of law?
Historians cite several causes of societal collapse—and today they are hauntingly familiar.
Like people, societies age. Complacency sets in.
The hard work and sacrifice that built the West also creates wealth and leisure. Such affluence is taken for granted by later generations. What created success is eventually ignored—or even mocked.
Expenditures and consumption outpace income, production, and investment.
Child-rearing, traditional values, strong defense, love of country, religiosity, meritocracy, and empirical education fade away.
The middle class of autonomous citizens disappear. Society bifurcates between a few lords and many peasants.
Tribalism—the pre-civilizational bonds based on race, religion, or shared appearance—remerge.
National government fragments into regional and ethnic enclaves.
Borders disappear. Mass migrations are unchecked. The age-old bane of anti-Semitism reappears.
The currency inflates, losing its value and confidence. General crassness in behavior, speech, dress, and ethics replaces prior norms.
Transportation, communications, and infrastructure all decline.
The end is near when the necessary medicine is seen as worse than the disease.
Such was life around 450 AD in Western Europe.
The contemporary West might raise similar red flags.
Fertility has dived well below 2.0 in almost every Western country.
Public debt is nearing unsustainable levels. The dollar and euro have lost much of their purchasing power.
It is more common in universities to damn than honor the gifts of the Western intellectual past.
Yet, the reading and analytical skills of average Westerners, and Americans in particular, steadily decline.
Can the general population even operate or comprehend the ever-more sophisticated machines and infrastructure that an elite group of engineers and scientists creates?
The citizen loses confidence in an often corrupt elite, who neither will protect their nations’ borders nor spend sufficient money on collective defense.
The cures are scorned.
Do we dare address spiraling deficits, unsustainable debt, and corrupt bureaucracies and entitlements?
Even mention of reform is smeared as “greedy,” “racist,” “cruel,” or even “fascist” and “Nazi.”
In our times, relativism replaces absolute values in the eerie replay of the latter Roman Empire.
Critical legal theory claims crimes are not really crimes.
Critical race theory postulates that all of society is guilty of insidious bias, demanding reparations in cash and preferences in admission and hiring.
Salad-bowl tribalism replaces assimilation, acculturation, and integration of the old melting pot.
Despite a far wealthier, far more leisured, and far more scientific contemporary America, was it safer to walk in New York or take the subway in 1960 than now?
Are high school students better at math now or 70 years ago?
Are movies and television more entertaining and ennobling in 1940 or now?
Are nuclear, two-parent families the norm currently or in 1955?
We are blessed to live longer and healthier lives than ever—even as the larger society around us seems to teeter.
Yet, the West historically is uniquely self-introspective and self-critical.
Reform and Renaissance historically are more common than descents back into the Dark Ages.
But the medicine for decline requires unity, honesty, courage, and action—virtues now in short supply on social media, amid popular culture, and among the political class.
I had to do some back reading to fill in your references. Honestly, it didn’t occur to me that there had been more than one dark age in the history of the world, or that there was more than one civilization that rose and fell in Greece. The Mycenaeans proceeded the city states of Greece and the Minoans proceeded the Mycenaeans. History is so important. I cannot fathom why it’s been relegated to the dusty aisles of libraries.
Excellent article and comments. My only challenge is the statement that we are living longer, healthier lives today than in the past. I don’t see this in my life. Previous generations in my family were living to 90’s and 100, sharp as a tack and physically independent. That is far from the case today.
Simple: !)The INDIVIDUAL and their GOD. 2) FAMILY (one man + one woman procreating with siblings); 3) COMMUNITY (both INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES united in one homogenous, like-minded, community with LIFE, LIBERTY AND FREEDOM IN THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS). 4) RELIGION “WE THE PEOPLE”SELF GOVERN WITH THE GOD OF OUR CHOICE, AS STEWARDS!!!, 5) EDUCATION a Socratic Model of Education as taught in Larry P. Arns HILLDALES “BARNEY SCHOOLS.” 6)TAXATION an EQUITABLE SYSTEM permitting the evolution of a “diamond shaped” (25% top, 50% middle, and 25% (or less) bottom) society and ever expanding MIDDLE CLASS, and lastly GOVERNANCE OF BY AND OF WE THE PEOPLE. AMEN. Read A BIBLE. KJv. Psalm 128. 10 Commandments everywhere. VOTE MAGA AND ,MAHA.
DEI in all Western nations needs to he replaced with UEI, Unity (behind national interest), Equal Opportunity (based on merit), and Integration (of culture, history and values for all citizens). DEI has led to tribalism, nihilism, incompetence, economic and cultural decline. Victor as always is making an irrefutable argument for the historical reasons for decline but also historical solutions for what has made Western Civiilisation so adaptabaly successful all over the globe.
Loved the history lesson! We as a country need to continue the path we are on with President Trump’s leadership and we can avoid another “Dark AGE”. We can’t afford this back and forth between the two party system at the moment. The modern Democratic Party is in too much control of the extreme left. Tit for tack will only create an extreme right that we don’t need as well. Stick with President Trump’s direction, he is the average American at heart and mind that gave us two hundred and fifty years of freedom.
Excellent TEOTWAWKI photo at the beginning of the article. Thank you.
Spot on. Read Ibrahim’s books on the Islamic invasion, which lead to the dark ages, which led to The Crusades, which were defensive wars against the Islamist invasions.
A big contributor to the dark ages was the rampaging Islamic hordes that swept out of the Arabian Peninsula around the year 637 and conquered the Middle East, Egypt, all of North Africa,Spain and into France. They looted, pillaged and enslaved causing depopulation economic collapse. Since then they haven’t stopped and are now western civilisation from within
Perhaps the words of Pope St. John Paul II, spoken about a new, ” Springtime,” of the Church will enter into our fallen world. 0r as Pope Benedict XVI predicted,” It will be Beauty that will convert the world.
What is this beauty this springtime? I remember learning the words when I returned to the Catholic Church, “Whatever is good and beautiful is therefore true.” I discovered that it was an unborn child in his mother’s womb that was the first to proclaim Jesus to the world when he heard the voice of Our Blessed Mother! the world has never been the same since Jesus Christ was born. We live in the greatest time for Hope, Love, and Peace!
St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s calling card:
The fruit of Silence is Prayer
The fruit of Prayer is Faith
The fruit of Faith is Love
The fruit of Love is Service
The fruit of Service is Peace
During the first century AD (two millennia ago), a Roman citizen could walk down the banks of the Nile River (or sail down it), then walk northeastward around the east end of the Mediterranean using mostly paved roads, then walk all the way to the English Channel (again often using paved roads) before taking a short boat trip to England, then continue walking all the way to Hadrian’s Wall in Scotland. And during his trip that man could often converse with many people along the way (using only Latin) and use Roman money for currency to pay for his lodging and food throughout Europe and the Middle East. And he felt somewhat safe throughout much of his trip. These conveniences all evaporated when Rome fell, the Dark Ages began, and people had to move back into hill forts for societal protection in Europe. During the Dark Ages, even the formula for setting up concrete underwater disappeared and had to be rediscovered.
VICTOR BEEN FOLLOWING YOU FOR SOME TIME …I CAN NOT SEE US GETTING OUT OF THE MESS WE ARE IN.
I would bet that the late Constantinople had similar conversations right before the end.
We need a new Hays Code to force feature entertainment to be pro family again.
From 1920- 1960 the birth rate was over 3.
Now it is below replacement at 1.6.
Women stopped marrying because the media said it was no longer cool.
Under the Hays Code this was NOT allowed.
Women will not marry until the media makes it cool again.
We must force the media to do this as they did in the 1930s.
Or we can slide further into Mad Max.
It is a very simple solution.
Simply take control and reverse what has deliberately caused this decline- the media.
The Amish are thriving. Their birthrate is 6.
Why?
They do not have tvs or cell phones that tell them depopulation is cool.
Stephen Hill: sorry to be pedantic, but that was “A Canticle for Liebowitz.” Your reference to it is brilliantly apropos.
Holy cow, this is a keeper for the wall, this references the very question i have wanted to ask of Prof VDH for months, and that was: have any civilizations been known to recover, correct the errors of their ways and become reborn to their previous greatness. My wild guess is no. Seemingly, that would take, at minimum, a sufficient number of citizens who are able to discern the whys and hows of national and personal behaviors and have the where-all to generate a change. Possibly, the posh wealthy move beyond such an ability and leave that task to the lessers who starkly experience the daily reality not foreseen by the soft and spoiled elite. So, possibly human history meanders along a sine wave that repeats its best and worst moments. Such a fascinating subject. Thank you.
We in this household pray that VDH is fully mended soon. With too much at stake, I recently gave up the local clinic for the Mayo in Phoenix.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
A culture/society develops in layers according to the citizens wealth. As it grows the wealth becomes more available to all. The strata disappear and sloth arrives. The walls physical and emotional go boom. The primitives arrive to pick over the carcass. Next up!
Victor,
I read your columns religiously as they are published on power line or real clear politics.
They appear to be more and more pessimistic about the present and future of western civilization. As depressing as the United States direction is trending, what do you think about movements such as Charlie Kirk’s turning Point USA and the trend toward religiosity on some college campuses and for some younger cohorts? Not enough in their own to combat nihilistic,overall societal decline but at least a pushback.
We are were we are today largely because the far left took over our educational systems from K-12 through our universities. For the past five decades young impressionable minds have been taught that capitalism is evil, white Europeans who came to America are virulent racists, America is a force for imperialism and that anarchy is the only answer. Add to that the diminished role of Christianity and extreme feminism and you have the recipe for conflict and a rudderless society. As long as our schools continue to be far left indoctrination centers this country is ultimately doomed.
God might appreciate a seat at the table.
Haha, Michael I agree! Where is your Christmas spirit VDH?!
AI is not the end all be all, regardless of what the investors claim.
University Professors who bemoan the boring “papers” handed in which were so obviously written by AI have an easy solve: Timed IN CLASS by HAND writing. No computers or I-PADS. Just a piece of paper and a pen.
Of course, this would also invite elementary teachers to re-introduce small motor skills (penmanship.) Trying to read the handwriting of some students would be Hell itself, regardless of the banality and ugliness of their ideas.
I imagine a lot of college kids today can’t write with a hand.
Hello,
A great article as usual. Question about FCC? Can Trump’s FCC add three additional conservative public channels to equal the playing field for the country? Do they require Congress’ approval?
Regards.
Years of following VDH’s content. Brilliance defined.
But sometimes, I wish he’d just jump up and start screaming “America, GET YOUR F-n HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS… OUR ENEMIES ARE BRINGING THE WARS(PLURAL) TO US”. But alas, I know he’s too polite for such vulgarities.
I’ve spent the last 30 years trying to explain the over-the-horizon warfare heading our way… and many of my contemporaries called me “brainwashed by the Navy”.
Brainwashed yes, but it’s in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Navy! Go Navy, FLY NAVY!!!
The people who are often called elites and think they are elite are really just a bunch of parasitic elitists. They produce nothing of value to society. They are also too weak to cause any real problems so we need to stop supporting them with tax dollars. They can just sit around and recite and talk at each other while the rest of us pick up and move our people forward.
Maybe the Amish and cockroaches are onto something with resilience through simplicity.
A major perturbation from war, natural disaster etc will result in a loss of technology as certainly the average citizen could not produce semiconductors or even electricity. No individual can even even make a pencil
These comments and prophesies by this group of VDH’s interested parties aren’t atypical of the masses but rather represent a group of educated, thinking folk that offer different solutions to the same problems. One finds this in a forum, such as Forum Popili or Forum livi as was in Rome where political discussions would be held and debated. What a marvelous concept. Nonne Putas?
The message is spot on; however, I’d prefer a bin of Christmas Cheer this time of year. Just sayin….
When we look at the movie screen of America today there is a collision of activity and thought. Little to nobody in the picture show have a clue of how to make the movie end in civilizing tendencies for the good of the whole. The picture show is full of recklessness, crime and lack of passion to practice the good. There is a lack of desire to practice the good among many highly subsidized people.
Right now quality corrective personal behaviors seem to be Beyond Human Scale for most.
Alex P:
Good one, yes that is the O’bama library after almost another 10 years + the road leading to it is the south side of Chicago in 10 years.
Victor; you paint a very sad picture of what the future might hold. As of now, I have both positive and negative concerns. I watched todays podcast with Jack and although I ‘Get’ Trumps propensity to shake things up verbally to be kind, I get disgusted when he gives the left wing lemmings more fuel to feed their TDS fires! One of my friends is an Ultra MAGA supporter and in his eyes, Trump can do no wrong. We constantly debate the issue. Just because Rob Reiner despised him, I saw no point in the presidents remarks to the media post murders. It just doesn’t do him any good to lash out in my opinion. Be the better person and rise above it which is a difficult task for Trump. Your point regarding the morality is well taken. Stop the tweeting, stop the verbal miscues and stay focused on the business at hand to win the mid-terms.
When collage students are canvassed today about their knowledge of various subjects , their lack of knowledge of elementary facts physical or conceptual is not only stunning it’s frightening. It seems the general public with no “higher education ” experience equipped with only practical life experience gained through earning a living and working hard has way more knowledge of concrete useful knowledge. Perhaps because they are forced to learn quickly just to make ends meet. Institutions once the bulworks of our culture failing to produce leaders capable of maintaining our institutions is surely the beginning of the end.
I should have known –
I have grown to rely upon Victor (assume familiarity is tolerated) to be a compass of reason through the chaos of our times. Day after day, issue after issue, I have counted on him to produce logical, rational and reliable perspectives, no matter how absurd reality has become. My best description of him is the word prodigious; prodigious writing, prodigious lecturing and prodigious thinking. But along with my dependence on his stabilizing assessments of the madness around us, I kept thinking, “Victor, your eternally optimistic ordering of perspectives is courageous, but don’t you see how fragile the hold upon survival of reason has become? We could lose all of this. It is not only possible; it is becoming our destiny.”
But I was mistaken – his perceptions are as incisive as I have grown to expect. He missed nothing and he has articulated the issues as brilliantly as ever. It is strange that I should admire this incredible article, but somehow, I attain gratification in the fact that Victor should so eloquently document what is becoming our quite unavoidable future.
Am I mistaken or does the tall building in the picture resemble the Obama Presidential Library?
The question is whether this moment is truly different—or whether it only feels that way to those living inside it. History suggests that societies rarely recognize their own patterns while they’re repeating them. The behaviors feel modern, the language changes, the technology accelerates—but the underlying dynamics remain stubbornly familiar: denial, fragmentation, moral confusion, and the slow substitution of comfort for responsibility. The uncomfortable truth is that civilizations don’t usually fall from external conquest alone; they hollow themselves out first. Whether America becomes a brief, remarkable exception—or just another instructive chapter—depends less on what we fear than on whether we’re still capable of recognizing patterns and acting before they harden into fate.
Regarding the problem of AI fakes, I highly recommend that Prof. Hanson mount in a prominent spot a large analog wall clock that has regular arabic numerals and a second hand. AI still has problems generating clocks and this will serve as a signal that the video is an AI generated fake.
VDH –
In your accompanying photo/illustration, is that Obama’s unfinished and overbudget library in the upper left corner?
history repeats itself….bring back the draft!
Happy Channukah. And Happy Holidays to you and your family.
I wrote Youtube, but something more signigicant should be done about the “fan produced” warning on fake VDH recordings. It’s flashed on far too fast to be readable; several paragraphs, and I could read 2 words.
Thanks, that’s one of your best summaries yet!
Prof. Hanson, please continue to comment on current events and to set a standard for the Third Enlightenment of Western Civilization. Also please give us warning when you feel the need to hide your works in a cave in the desert. Remember: the book, “A Chronical For Leibowitz” was a warning and not a prophecy.
The Baron. Someone pointed out once that the unique thing about Star Trek is that it showed a future that worked. I suppose the same could be said of The Jetsons.
Hollywood versions of the destruction of Western Civilization:
– UFO/UAPs or some earthly development brings disease, creatures, or a parasite
– Cataclysmic Natural disasters
– Man made disasters like nuclear meltdown, evil empire, mass enslavement etc.
Summary: It’s never the fault of our own, but some external force or unique evil individual(s). All possible, even historically documented. The one that’s rarely depicted:
The slow erosion and transparent decapitating impact leading to mass hysteria that can be generated by constant repetition of fake altruistic narratives, distortion of historic knowledge, and illusory correlation.
Given the amount of fiction based on the premise that society has collapsed, that the entertainment complex churns out, you’d think more people would think about the phenomenon.