THE CAUSES OF STATE DECLINE: A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS AND LESSONS FOR THE PRESENT

Abstract

This article analyzes the causes of state decline from historical and theoretical perspectives. The study compares the processes of crisis in major political entities such as the Roman Empire, the Abbasid Caliphate, and the Timurid state, identifying the key factors that led to their collapse. The works of Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson (Why Nations Fail), Francis Fukuyama (Political Order and Political Decay), Nizam al-Mulk (Siyosatnama), as well as the historical writings of Arnold Toynbee and Edward Gibbon, are used as the theoretical foundation of the analysis. The article highlights justice, the stability of political institutions, leadership responsibility, and public trust as the main factors determining state resilience. In conclusion, historical lessons confirm the importance of just governance, institutional renewal, and moral stability in contemporary state-building.