5 ms·

The US lasted 243 years. Is it the oldest modern nation? I wonder, how will the modern nations different from the ancient ones?

yks 8y ago
it is not, case in point: Great Britain
- mamon 8y ago
  Also: Poland, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, pretty much every European nation. Edit: Seems that GP conflates "nation" and "state". If we're counting continuity of government, they probably only Great Britain is a good example, other countries had undergone many changes, from absolutism, to constitutional monarchy, to non-existence, to democracy, to fascist dictatorships.
  - _emacsomancer_ 8y ago
    There's quite a bit of change in Britain as well. There was a fascist dictatorship from 1649 until 1660. Nor is 1688 insignificant. (And it's only Great Britain from 1707).
    - lm28469 8y ago
      And it went from the largest colonial empire / power in the world to an island voting to get out of the EU in a few decades. Sure they're still Britain but it changed a lot. (it also apply to France, Germany, Belgium, and probably a lot more)
      - baud147258 8y ago
        I'd argue that France has changed a lot more during the same time, at least regarding the regime changes (from 1788: monarchy, constitutional monarchy, republic (1st), dictatorship, empire (with Napoleon), monarchy, republic (2nd), empire (2nd Empire with Napoleon III), republic (3rd), fascist dictatorship (Vichy), republic (4th & 5th)).
    - arethuza 8y ago
      There has indeed been a lot of change - the UK in its current form only dates from 1922! However, the lineage of the what is now the UK does stretch back in places over a thousand years to the creation of Scotland and England as separate unified kingdoms in the 9th & 10th centuries.
- Dirlewanger 8y ago
  I think judging by the oldest extant constitution (or other equivalent legal document), the US is the oldest.
  - AnimalMuppet 8y ago
    Depends on your definitions. Great Britain has a "constitution" which is not a single, written document. The Magna Carta is part of it, and dated from 1215.
dredmorbius 8y ago
Japan probably claims that crown: 660 BCE. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_date_of_formation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_da...

yks 8y ago

it is not, case in point: Great Britain

mamon 8y ago
Also: Poland, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, pretty much every European nation. Edit: Seems that GP conflates "nation" and "state". If we're counting continuity of government, they probably only Great Britain is a good example, other countries had undergone many changes, from absolutism, to constitutional monarchy, to non-existence, to democracy, to fascist dictatorships.
- _emacsomancer_ 8y ago
  There's quite a bit of change in Britain as well. There was a fascist dictatorship from 1649 until 1660. Nor is 1688 insignificant. (And it's only Great Britain from 1707).
  - lm28469 8y ago
    And it went from the largest colonial empire / power in the world to an island voting to get out of the EU in a few decades. Sure they're still Britain but it changed a lot. (it also apply to France, Germany, Belgium, and probably a lot more)
    - baud147258 8y ago
      I'd argue that France has changed a lot more during the same time, at least regarding the regime changes (from 1788: monarchy, constitutional monarchy, republic (1st), dictatorship, empire (with Napoleon), monarchy, republic (2nd), empire (2nd Empire with Napoleon III), republic (3rd), fascist dictatorship (Vichy), republic (4th & 5th)).
  - arethuza 8y ago
    There has indeed been a lot of change - the UK in its current form only dates from 1922! However, the lineage of the what is now the UK does stretch back in places over a thousand years to the creation of Scotland and England as separate unified kingdoms in the 9th & 10th centuries.
Dirlewanger 8y ago
I think judging by the oldest extant constitution (or other equivalent legal document), the US is the oldest.
- AnimalMuppet 8y ago
  Depends on your definitions. Great Britain has a "constitution" which is not a single, written document. The Magna Carta is part of it, and dated from 1215.

dredmorbius 8y ago

Japan probably claims that crown: 660 BCE. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_date_of_formation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_da...