Why Do Great Civilizations Keep Collapsing?

Central question: Rome, the Classic Maya city-states, and the kingdoms of the Late Bronze Age flourished for centuries before suffering extraordinary political and social upheavals. Were these separate historical accidents, or do they reveal recurring weaknesses within complex civilizations? The documentary will investigate a provocative possibility: Civilizations rarely collapse because of one disaster. More often, multiple pressures converge until institutions can no longer respond effectively. But there's an important distinction we'll preserve throughout: political collapse does not necessarily mean that a people, their culture, or their achievements disappear.