logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
45m 55s

Is America collapsing like Ancient Rome?

Vox
About this episode
What can ancient Rome teach us about American democracy? The Roman Republic fell for a lot of reasons: The state became too big and chaotic; the influence of money and private interests corrupted public institutions; and social and economic inequalities became so large that citizens lost faith in the system altogether and gradually fell into the arms of tyra ... Show More
Up next
Jan 26
America is football
Why do we love football so much? Why does this sport dominate American culture in a way nothing else can? Why does it feel essential even to people who barely like sports? And what does it say about us that we keep watching, even as the risks and contradictions become harder to i ... Show More
50m 43s
Jan 12
How we built a government that can’t build anything
Why is it so hard for America to build things? Bridges take years to construct. Housing costs are soaring. Transit systems are crumbling. And we’re struggling to update our infrastructure to prepare for the climate crisis. Even when there’s broad agreement that something needs to ... Show More
45m 46s
Dec 22
It’s okay to not be okay
It’s not always the most wonderful time of the year. Every December, we’re told to be merry and stay positive. But a lot of us don’t feel that way. And when we don’t, the pressure to be happy makes everything worse. Sadness feels like failure. Grief feels like a personal mistake. ... Show More
58m 35s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
Oligarchy
<p>Is Trump’s presidential reign turning the US into an oligarchy? Or did the US fall into oligarchic rule many years ago? In episode 127 of Overthink, David and Ellie dive into what an oligarchy looks like, the dangers of a country’s power being in the hands of the wealthy few, ... Show More
54m 3s
Dec 2024
The Roman Caesars' Guide to Ruling
<p>The Roman caesars were the rulers of the Roman Empire, beginning in 27 BC with Julius Caesar’s heir Augustus, from whom subsequent caesars took their name, and lasting until around the fall of the Western Empire in 476 AD. The caesars transitioned the Roman Republic to autocra ... Show More
57m 14s
Jul 2025
The Roman Conquest of the Hellenistic World
<p>For most of its history, Rome barely bothered with the Greek east. Then, quite suddenly, Rome exploded onto the scene, laying low the two most powerful Hellenistic warrior-kings of the past century. Within ten years, Rome became the undisputed hegemonic power of the Mediterran ... Show More
43m 35s
Oct 2023
How the Roman Republic Became the Roman Empire
The Roman Republic existed for almost 500 years. The Romane Empire then existed for almost another 500 years.  The two institutions had a great deal in common, but they radically differed in how Rome was administered.  The Republic was set up explicitly to prevent the rule of a s ... Show More
13m 27s
Feb 2025
The Roman Republic
March 15th, 44BC. Despite ill omens, Julius Caesar approaches the Theatre of Pompey. But the men inside have sworn an oath. To save the Republic from the hands of this self-styled ‘perpetual dictator', Caesar must die. But where did the Republic start? How did it transform Rome f ... Show More
1 h
Mar 2024
Class struggle in the Roman republic | World Congress '23
In the first complete Marxist history of the Roman Republic, Alan Woods’ recently launched book provides a gripping and accessible analysis of the titanic struggles that shaped the Roman world, and continue to resonate today.Spanning more than a thousand years of development, the ... Show More
1h 9m
Sep 2024
Ancient Rome: How Rome integrated conquered peoples
How did Rome build an empire without destroying everything in its path? This episode unpacks the early Roman Republic’s secret weapon: a flexible system of alliances, patronage, and partial citizenship that let it dominate Italy before ever touching Carthage. We break down Rome’s ... Show More
1h 20m
Jan 2018
092 The Story of Rome & Other Fairytales (Free)
The ideas attributed to ancient Rome have shaped much of western life and governance in the modern age. How is that we have no reliable historic account of the founding of Rome or how it became the Vatican? Maybe the sky can tell us – 
1h 6m