Factors of the Collapse of Civilization - Essay Example

The negative effects originating from desertification have been cited throughout history to have contributed to the collapse of empires and civilizations. This is owed to the fact that such conditions usually hamper communities practicing farming, and agricultural production and also displaces the population thereby in the community.

The other environmental factor that has caused the collapse of civilization is deforestation. In most cases, deforestation occurs whenever there is cutting of trees for timber, firewood, and for manufacturing purposes which generally lower rainfall and causes soil infertility thereby making civilizations unstable to support themselves and their people, especially those that lived near the rivers.

Political Factors: Historically, politics has played a significant role in the collapse of various world civilizations. For example, through politics, the barbarians managed to invert empires which in Frassetto’s view, was caused by “uncivilized people who began to pressure on” by causing war in the empire (33). Eventually, these people succeeded in their effort to invade and trespass the majestic frontiers thereby destroying the old civilization as a result of hatred.

On the other hand, various political changes and reorganizations of political institutions that existed in different civilizations caused a lot of stability thereby resulting in the collapse of civilizations. The lack of well-organized political institutions to govern society and maintain law and order meant the disintegration of the societies that formed such civilizations.

Social Factors: Historically, social unrest has been cited to have caused the “collapse of rigid social orders” (Fagan, 18). For instance, whenever there was persistent hunger and drought most civilizations lost their loyal followers in the quest for such an important component of life. Various civilizations also collapsed as a result of deaths resulting from diseases.

Economic Factors: The collapse of civilization as a result of economic factors is attributed to unsuccessful economic competition whenever there is overexpansion of geographical limits. Overexpansion of geographical limits is known to hinder the effective performance of manpower, administration, resources, and revenues. At the same time, unsuccessful competition often caused people to bypass the appropriate trade routes, flooding rich and powerful civilizations while living others impoverished, devaluing and depreciating of various modes of exchange.

In conclusion, various civilizations existed in different eras and largely depended on the integration of several factors to function efficiently. However, such civilizations were greatly challenged or hampered and eventually collapsed in an event that one or a combination of such factors failed to operate or offer its services to the civilization as it ought to. This implies that for any given civilization to operate effectively, it required consistency in the factors that its subjects relied on in their day-to-day operation.