This is a long read, but I found it worth my time.

Please take the effort to

download it and peruse it. I bet you won't be able to set it down.

http://people.uncw.edu/kozloffm/glubb.pdf

THE FATE OF EMPIRES and SEARCH FOR SURVIVAL --- Sir John Glubb

"There's a natural entropy in any living organism, which an empire is, of course,
over time dies.

"The question is, 'How does it die? Does it die? Does it die in a violent cascade
of events, or does it die over a long period of time?'"

For those who like to watch and listen rather than read. This video sums it up in
less than seven minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Gc1bv-Mj4

Here is an enhanced discussion that covers Western Civilization groundwork. It is

as dry as a professor's lecture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2CCs-x9q9U

The stages of the rise and fall of great nations seem to be:

The Age of Pioneers (outburst)

The Age of Conquests
The Age of Commerce
The Age of Affluence
The Age of Intellect
The Age of Decadence.

Decadence is marked by:

Defensiveness
Pessimism
Materialism
Frivolity
An influx of foreigners
The Welfare State
A weakening of religion.

Decadence is due to:

Too long a period of wealth and power
Selfishness
Love of money
The loss of a sense of duty.