Quote:
Originally Posted by grizy
This is historically inaccurate. Every great empires in history, the UK one included, thrived on immigrant labor and incorporation of immigrants and their cultures. Indeed, every empire's capital, even today, was known to have cuisines from all over the world (even the parts they don't control.) Rome, China, Japan, UK, France, Greece, Ottoman Empire, Mongolian Empire, and every other empire (I am sure, it's a matter of numbers) had to rely on immigrant labor.
Xenophobia marked the end of many of those empires. Historically, great empires fall when they turn inward and stop learning from outsiders. Rome, China, and Japan are all examples of this. Rome got ****ed when it stopped assimilating border tribes. China got ****ed when it shut itself off and Europeans showed up with guns and cannons. Japan got ****ed the same way China did.
This is such a misreading of history. Current levels of mass migration rarely happened. Mass migrations that did happen lead to displacement and replacement. Where are the Germans in the Carpathian basin, where are the Greeks in Anatolia. 1000 years ago it was the center of Western civilization.
500k a year is scary mass migration level stuff. If wanting to preserve your culture is xenophobia then sure. Empires are not good things for the people.
Also your Roman example is so simplistic and reductionist, Marion reforms anyone, expanding Roman military and citizenry to just the other Italian tribes as the direct reason of the fall of the Roman republic and rise of the Roman empire.