[piasa]

True... I think a lot of it had to do with an increasingly fat and happy population that became 'too good' for fighting and contracted out the war-fighting to non-Romans until they were dependent on foreigners for protection. They ended up relying on tribalistic people who didn't understand the idea of a republic, and who weren't as loyal as citizen-soldiers had been in the past.

[ladyjane]

I think a lot of it had to do with an increasingly fat and happy population

We have a fat and angry population. That may be worse.