This seems to be the precipice America is heading toward. Does history have any examples of this happening? How did it go?
Not necesarily. Soviet Union fell regardless of it's military power. It went "plop-ski". Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
The armies of bankrupt nations tend to have mutinies and mass desertions. There did used to be the practice of allowing soldiers to despoil the countryside as a means of compensation--in the age before professional armies. Vikings covered the length and breadth of Europe and went deep into Asia and down to North Africa, based mostly on the hope they'd find things to take there. Whether they count as an "army" in the sense you mean I don't know. A strong army could in theory be put together in a bankrupt nation using those rules, the main problem being that you still have to initailly equip everyone, and train them, and the real risk that that sort of mercenary force will pursue their own goals rather than the nations. No force, like that, for example, is going to invade Afghanistan; it's too poor. Wealthy, wealthy Australia, on the other hand...Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Yes it does...it didn't go too well for Napoleon - that man with extraordinary 'short-man syndrome', who remarked that "an army marches on it's stomach". Take the remark any way you want, it's also a glaring straight-forward fact. If you cannot, by means of money or logistics feed your army, it'll starve. Ironically, he too is the historical example. In 1812 France went to Russia with 0.6 million men - the largest force in its time, with murderous intent to defeat them by foraging on the local supplies.Anticipating this, the Russians resorted to the 'scorched earth' policy of destroying all resources that may be captured. This was the beginning of the end for Napoleon. You'd have to read more into it to get the full story, but the crux of the matter is the outcome - it was a loss, or a more precisely, a Phyrric victory - within 2 years he'd abdicate and be exiled to Elba. Had the short guy read Sun Tsu's "Art of War" he'd have seen the Chapther titled - Waging war" . It's too long to repeat here, so check it here Where America fits in all this is anyone's guess, but school is never out with history.
