Collapse

Jared M. Diamond's Collapse investigates why some civilizations flourish while others collapse, arguing that environmental degradation coupled with poor policy decisions creates a repeating pattern of ruin across history and into the present. Drawing on case studies from the Maya to Easter Island, 14th-century Eurasia, and modern examples like the Soviet Union, he examines how overextended ecological bases—driven by monoculture farming, deforestation, or resource depletion—make societies vulnerable to crisis. The book serves as a cautionary analysis of sustainability, governance, and the consequences of ignoring environmental limits.