What You Need to Keep an Empire Together

The novel I'm writing is set in an empire that happens to be falling apart. Name an empire in history -- besides a relatively young one -- and it has come to an end one way or another. Some were broken up on their own. Many of them got crushed by outside forces -- but most of the time, not before they were weakened from the inside. I've written a list here, but I'd like some ideas in case I overlooked some obvious or not-so-obvious points. Although I have some general ideas, I want to pinpoint exactly what went wrong with my imaginary empire. This could also be a useful exercise for us Americans to see where we're at.* This was kind of off the top of my head, trying to remember stuff I've learned in history and humanities classes and my various readings and observations.

*The U.S. is pretty much an empire, although it's not necessarily actively expanding at the moment. Think about it: we have a lot of territory, and not just here on the mainland , much of which we conquered. You don't have to have an emperor to be an empire. Until the Caesars came along, Rome was a republic, too.

• People and Territory (That's a given.)

• Authority (No wimpy successors, please.)

  • Governors of provinces to keep things in line, especially the more distant provinces.

  • Visits to keep tabs on things, especially if you don't have cell phones, internet, etc.. Charlemagne was on the road quite a bit.

• Law (Common law is especially helpful. If you hold yourself to the same standard as everyone else, they respect you more.)

• Military

• Border Defences: Walls, military and naval bases, coast guard, natural barriers (impassable mountains, seas of death, cliffs of insanity, etc.)

• Economy:

  • Resources, producers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, consumers

  • Trade: to get resources you lack

  • Coinage

• Communications System(s)

• Roads and Transportation: Trade, communication, inspection

• Ports

• Revenue: to support military, build roads, etc.

• Diplomacy

• Strategies for dealing with rivals. Strong defense against enemies who intend to wipe you out.

• Cities: centers of economy and authority

• Education: So you don't make stupid mistakes and blow it.

• Balance between unity and autonomy. Factions are dangerous, but let people keep their identity, and don't be so controlling that people hate you.

• Incentive to not rebel. Here are some ideas:

  • Reward conquered people with privileges of citizenship. Make their situation better than before they were conquered. Make them proud to be a – whatever you are.

  • Fear only works to a certain extent. If you're an evil tyrant, people will be more likely to rebel or to help your enemies. (See ancient Mesopotamian empires.)

  • At the same time, you don't want to be a softy because people will take advantage of you. (See Shay's Rebellion.)

  • Convince people that you're a deity (Egypt) or that you have some kind of divine right – although this may not be totally honest.

  • Religion/Philosophy that teaches Moral Code. This code should encourage people to obey just laws and deal with each other honestly. Note: This should not be a state religion because if adherence to these ideas are based not only on fear of the law, but also on individual choice, people will be more motivated to adhere. There will still be dishonest criminals and corrupt authorities out there, but there will be less of them. Less resources will have to be spent on law-enforcement, and the economy and administration will run more smoothly.