All Societies Die

How to Keep Hope Alive

By: Samuel Cohn

Narrated by: Jay Webb

In All Societies Die, Samuel Cohn asks us to prepare for the inevitable. Our society is going to die. What are you going to do about it? But he also wants us to know that there's still reason for hope.

In an immersive and mesmerizing discussion, Cohn considers what makes societies (throughout history) collapse. All Societies Die points us to the historical examples of the Byzantine empire, the collapse of Somalia, the rise of Middle Eastern terrorism, the rise of drug cartels in Latin America, and the French Revolution to explain how societal decline has common features and themes. Cohn takes us on an easily digestible journey through history. While he unveils the past, his message to us about the present is searing.

Through his assessment of past - and current - societies, Cohn offers us a new way of looking at societal growth and decline. With a broad panorama of bloody stories, unexpected historical riches, crime waves, corruption, and disasters, he shows us that although our society will, inevitably, die at some point, there's still a lot we can do to make it better and live a little longer.

The book is published by Cornell University Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

"Thought-provoking, entertainingly written... In short, it's a terrific read as well as a major scholarly achievement." (Rae Lesser Blumberg, University of Virginia)

"This book is outstanding...a deeply needed accomplishment." (Richard Lachmann, author of First Class Passengers on a Sinking Ship)

"A fascinating page-turner." (Susan Marquis, author of I Am Not a Tractor!)

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