Don&#x27;t forget &quot;Sword in Hand&quot; Aurelian. Roman History can be seen as a period of rise, then prolonged decline&#x2F;decay, punctuated by resurgences helmed by great leaders.<p>The Roman Empire worked because it was able to harness the self-interest of many parties and the population in general. It is a model of oppression through the exploitation of self interest and class distinction. (A system fluid enough for slaves to work their way up to becoming wealthy citizens.) Amazing how many parallels there are between the US and the Roman Empire.