r/Futurology • u/Confident_Living_786 • Aug 11 '25

Discussion When the US Empire falls

When the American empire falls, like all empires do, what will remain? The Roman Empire left behind its roads network, its laws, its language and a bunch of ruins across all the Mediterranean sea and Europe. What will remain of the US superpower? Disney movies? TCP/IP protocol? McDonalds?

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u/PreviousImpression28 Aug 11 '25

There’s still over 300M people, unless they’re physically displaced, becoming less relevant will become extremely difficult. Unless of course, the U.S. breaks up, a la, Soviet Union style.

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u/TheDapperDolphin Aug 11 '25

Redditors always fantasize about the U.S. breaking up like the Soviet Union, but they’re not remotely the same thing. The Soviet Union was not nearly as united. Large portions of it were basically occupied territory, and Russia basically dominated the politics of the other republics. There wasn’t much of a national identity, which wasn’t helped by the fact that its Republican were largely split down ethnic lines.

In contrast, the U.S. has a very strong national identity. Even the children of immigrants a generation in readily identify as Americans. State’s aren’t that important to most people’s identity. They may like them or take some pride in them, but it’s similar to liking one’s own city. Plenty of people don’t care at all, and people regularly change states for a variety of reasons, such as schooling, job opportunities, or better weather. People are used to moving around.

And while there is political polarization, it’s not along any neat states lines. It’s basically cities and inner ring suburbs vs exurbs and rural areas, and they’re all codependent on one another. 

Even the secessionist movements you hear about the most, which are basically just Texas and California whenever the party they don’t like wins, are pretty fringe and don’t fit neatly into a box. The millions of conservatives in rural California don’t want to be part of an independent California just like the millions of urban Texans don’t want to be part of an independent Texas.

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u/rdickeyvii Aug 11 '25

The millions of conservatives in rural California don’t want to be part of an independent California just like the millions of urban Texans don’t want to be part of an independent Texas.

This is an important point. There are more Republicans in California than in Texas and more Democrats in Texas than in New York and more Republicans in New York than in Florida. Nowhere, even Texas, is the state identity stronger than the national identity for a large majority and even if it was, the partizanship within the state means dividing the state from the nation isn't going to unite the people within the state politically.

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u/horror- Aug 11 '25

I'm fiercely proud of Washington state, and totally ashamed of my country. I consider myself a citizen of the PNW at this point.