Economic and political systems don't last forever - San Antonio Express-News

In the 12th century, the Kingdom of Sicily was incontestably the richest and most economically developed country in Europe. Norman adventurers, whose genius was war and clear-headed government, had conquered both the island and southern Italy from Muslims and Byzantines in the 11th century and established a remarkable state.

Finding both regions well-managed in terms of government finance and with a contented population, they ignored their native feudal system and continued both models, Byzantine and Muslim. Also remarkably, the Norman princes tolerated all three religions — Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic — in their territories.

The wealth of Naples and Sicily was based upon trade, a culture of rice and cotton, and Oriental industries Islam had introduced into the great ports of Palermo, Messina and Syracuse. The Sicilians maintained active commerce with the coast of Africa, the Greek-Byzantine world and crusader outposts in Syria. Ethnically and culturally, they were a hybrid lot, but royal absolutism (which replaced feudal norms) governed equitably, with efficient and fair taxation, which caused the royal coffers to run over. The Kingdom of Sicily enjoyed far greater revenues than either France or England.

Southern Italy and Sicily have long been the poorest and worst-run areas of Italy. My point is, back then the kingdom had created a socio-economic-political model that worked. It fitted the place and times, and in fact was ahead of the times. My point, also, is that no system or model works forever.

As with professional sports, it's easy to go from first to last.

History in some sense is the record of human efforts that work — or do not work. The Roman empire survived splendidly for a spell, then faltered long before barbarians overran it. Greek democracy at Athens had its day. The feudal system in effect saved Western Europe, but the cure was almost as fatal as the disease and was terribly hard to shake off. Communism made Russia into a great industrial power but collapsed in its own contradictions.

There are and always will be various explanations as to why systems work or fail.

These involve politics, ideologies, changing technologies, external threats, laxity, failure of will, culture, ethnicity and race. Some of these may be true.

My third point is that Western civilization seems to be at a great stress point. In short, its dominant models — social, governmental, economic — do not seem to be working well. Societies based on the “welfare state” and “political correctness” seem to be fraying in Europe. Our fathers' verities no longer appear to be true. Of course, they may still hold true — but we may no longer know how to manage them. This creates public anger and unease, and in some places has already pushed people into the streets.

Historians have remarked on a “Great Fear,” an indefinable anxiety that often precedes major upheavals such as the French Revolution and the American Civil War. When this occurs, it indicates that many people no longer believe their social-political-economic model is working. However, chaos is not inevitable, if cool heads do what is necessary, just as the Normans for a time eschewed their beliefs and culture to create a brief, golden kingdom.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Economic-and-political-systems-don-t-last-forever-2174670.php#ixzz1YMbcEzZB