Have you ever wondered why you hear about ancient Rome and Greece, but they no longer exist today? This is because those societies have collapsed, or their governments have collapsed without hope of repair. Civilizations fall for many reasons, and often for many different reasons at once. Some elements led to falls more than others. The cardinal causes of the collapse of large corporations are political corruption, economic failure and foreign invasion. The first major reason why societies collapsed was political corruption. A good example of misguided government was the French Revolution. While Marie Antoinette frolicked in a field of scented sheep posing as a shepherdess and Louis XVI was involved in distant wars, their people were starving. While this was happening, “. . .the peasants were acutely aware of their situation and were less and less willing to support the anachronistic and burdensome feudal system” (The French Revolution Encyclopaedia Britannica 1). This means that the citizens knew about their rulers' haphazard spending and did not want this to continue. They eventually rebelled and started the French Revolution, resulting in the deaths of the royals and thousands of other people. Another example of an unethical governing body is the Praetorian Guard in ancient Rome. Starting as a military group to protect the emperor, the Praetorian Guard evolved into a powerful band of soldiers who had the power to elect and dispose of emperors. They sold off the historic throne for money, and, “. . .proclaimed from the ramparts of their camp that the throne of the world would be sold at auction to the highest bidder” (The Praetorian Guard 1). This quote shows that the Praetorian Guard became corrupt and only cared about themselves and mo...... middle of paper ......_greece>."How the French Revolution worked." How things work. Network. 21 March 2014. "Praetorian Guard". Praetorian Guard. Network. 21 March 2014. .The editors of the Encyclopædia Britannica. "French Revolution (1787-99)." Encyclopedia Britannica online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Network. March 21, 2014. "Why did Hitler hate the Jews?" Why did Hitler hate Jews? Network. March 18, 2014. “The Rise and Fall of Ancient Greece.” Historical articles and illustrations » Blog archive ». Np, nd Web. March 21. 2014..