Empires are hard to defend as they become larger. The Japanese Empire in WWII failed due to its size--the navy was simply too small to defend the entire Pacific Ocean from the advancing Americans. Also, subjugated people inside of an empire must feel a loyalty to their conquerors, or else they will always be a burden to the empire. The people subjugated by the Aztecs actually joined the Spanish in their war against the dominant group. This, combined with diseases, allowed less than one hundred conquistadors to defeat the mighty Aztec empire that before this had lasted over five hundred years. The Romans were never ever to fully make the German tribes part of their empire, and the Goths were part of the reason that the Roman Empire crumbled. Finally, Hitler had to face opposition from the French and Poles long after these regions had officially fallen to the Nazis. Empires are also hard to maintain. Rome spent a lot of money on forts to defend its hinterlands. The British navy was a major expenditure, especially in the days of steamships. Even the United States has to spend money on maintaining military bases around the world. Empires are quite prestigious, but historically they are not meant to last forever.
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