Despite their historical importance, empires have received scant
attention from social scientists. Now, Alexander J. Motyl examines
the structure, dynamics, and continuing relevance of empire -- and
asks, "Why do empires decline? Why do some empires collapse? And
why do some collapsed empires revive?"
Rejecting choice-centered theories of imperial decline, Motyl
maintains that the very structure of empires promotes decay and
that decay in turn facilitates the progressive loss of territory.
Although most major empires have in fact declined in this manner,
some, such as the Soviet Union, have collapsed suddenly and
comprehensively. Motyl explains how and why collapse occurs, why
such an outcome is hard to foresee, and why some collapsed empires
revive. While broad-ranging historically and empirically, Imperial
Ends focuses on five modern empires: the Soviet, Romanov, Ottoman,
Habsburg, and Wilhelmine.
Examining the possibility of a revival of the Soviet empire,
Motyl points out that the expansion of NATO and the European Union,
along with increasing globalization, will isolate Russia and its
neighbors, promoting their dependence upon one another and perhaps
facilitating the rise of the former core.
With boldly stated conclusions and concise analytical
interpretations, Imperial Ends cohesively illustrates to
policymakers and social scientists alike the importance of possible
imperial revivals and the rise of future empires.
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