In The Fall of Empires: A Brief History of Imperial Collapse, historian Chad Denton describes the end of 17 empires throughout world history, from Athens to Qin China, from the Byzantium to the Mughals. He reveals — through stories of conquest, corruption, incompetence, assassination, bigotry, and environmental crisis — how even the most seemingly eternal of empires declined. For Athens and Britain, it was military hubris; for Qin China and Russia, it was alienating their subjects through oppression; Persia succumbed with the loss of its capital; the Khmer faced ecological catastrophe; while the Aztecs were destroyed by colonial exploitation.

None of these events alone explains why the empires fell, but they do provide a glimpse into the often-unpredictable currents of history, which have so far spared no empire. A fascinating and instructive survey, The Fall of Empires provides compelling evidence about the fate of centralized regional or global power.

The book is published by Westholme Publishing. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

"Denton's task is ambitious and difficult, but he does it brilliantly with focus and lucid narrative." (Military Officer)

"Both specialists and non-specialists will find Denton's treatment enlightening and his writing exceptional." (Alexander J. Motyl, author of Imperial Ends: The Decay, Collapse, and Revival of Empires)

"Denton brings the world's fallen empires back to life in glorious Technicolor.” (Paul Cooper, host, Fall of Civilizations podcast)