Societal collapse
Societal collapse (also known as civilizational collapse or systems collapse) is the fall of a complex human society characterized by the loss of cultural identity and of social complexity as an adaptive system, the downfall of government, and the rise of violence. Possible causes of a societal collapse include natural catastrophe, war, pestilence, famine, economic collapse, population decline or overshoot, mass migration, incompetent leaders, and sabotage by rival civilizations. A collapsed society may revert to a more primitive state, be absorbed into a stronger society, or completely disappear.
Virtually all civilizations have suffered such a fate, regardless of their size or complexity. Most never recovered, such as the Western and Eastern Roman Empires, the Maya civilization, and the Easter Island civilization. However, some of them later revived and transformed, such as China, Greece, and Egypt.
Anthropologists, historians, and sociologists have proposed a variety of explanations for the collapse of civilizations involving causative factors such as environmental degradation, depletion of resources, costs of rising complexity, invasion, disease, decay of social cohesion, growing inequality, extractive institutions, long-term decline of cognitive abilities, loss of creativity, and misfortune. However, complete extinction of a culture is not inevitable, and in some cases, the new societies that arise from the ashes of the old one are evidently its offspring, despite a dramatic reduction in sophistication. Moreover, the influence of a collapsed society, such as the Western Roman Empire, may linger on long after its death.
The study of societal collapse, collapsology, is a topic for specialists of history, anthropology, sociology, and political science. More recently, they are joined by experts in cliodynamics and study of complex systems.
Societal collapse is the rapid and severe breakdown of a society’s social, economic, and political structures, characterized by a loss of cultural identity and complexity. This can lead to a drastic decrease in population and a simplification of governance and social organization. Causes often include long-term vulnerabilities like environmental degradation, overpopulation, and resource management problems, which are amplified by sudden crises such as war, disease, or financial shocks.
What it is
- Breakdown of systems: Collapse is a significant decline in the social, economic, and political complexity of a society.
- Loss of complexity: It involves a simplification of social structures, a decline in centralized control, and a decrease in economic specialization.
- Decline in capacity: A key aspect is the loss of the collective capacity to meet the basic needs of the population.
- Manifestations: This can be seen in lower levels of social differentiation, less information flow, and smaller political units.
- Not necessarily total destruction: Collapse doesn’t always mean total annihilation, but rather a drastic decrease in population or complexity over a large area for an extended period.
How it happens
- A tipping point: Collapse is often the result of long-term vulnerabilities that are intensified by sudden crises, leading to a tipping point.
- Compounding stressors: It can be triggered by interacting and compounding economic, environmental, and political stressors over time.
- Staged breakdown: Some researchers propose a staged breakdown, which can include financial, political, social, cultural, and ecological collapse.
Causes and contributing factors
- Environmental degradation: Deforestation, soil degradation, water management problems, overhunting, and overfishing have historically contributed to collapses.
- Resource issues: Overpopulation and a per-capita increase in resource consumption are major drivers.
- Economic and political factors: Financial instability, political instability, rising inequality, and a lack of effective leadership can trigger collapse.
- Interconnected global issues: In the 21st century, the interconnectedness of global issues like climate change, economic inequality, and the threat of nuclear war are seen as significant contributing factors.
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[1] https://fiveable.me/key-terms/ap-hug/societal-collapse
[2] wikipedia/en/Societal_collapse
[3] https://www.elidourado.com/p/collapse
[4] https://populationconnection.org/blog/are-we-nearing-global-collapse/
[6] https://futurism.com/collapse-human-civilization-likely-scenario
[7] wikipedia/en/Collapse:_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed
[8] https://beyond.ubc.ca/what-is-societal-collapse-and-why-does-it-matter/
[9] https://recruit.foreignaffairs.gov.fj/index.jsp/E0G00F/313710/5_stages_of_societal_collapse.pdf
[10] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3574335/
[12] wikipedia/en/Societal_collapse
[13] https://fiveable.me/key-terms/introduction-archaeology/collapse-theory
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