Transcript
A threads post saying “There has never been another nation ever that has existed much beyond 250 years. Not a single one. America’s 250th year is 2025. The next 4 years are gonna be pretty interesting considering everything that’s already been said.” It has a reply saying “My local pub is older than your country”.
I dunno, I’m pretty sure Japan is older.
Depends what you define as nation. Modern day Japan is only 157 years old since the Meiji Restoration started in 1868.
Like the US will still exist after the American empire collapses but sure as hell not in it’s current form.
You could argue that modern Japan only exists since WWII. The major changes required after losing in WWII majorly changed the country.
You could also argue that the US is a new nation since the Civil War, so it’s 160ish years old. If you ignore the civil war, what about when various states were added? Does the fact they were added gradually rather than all at once mean it’s the same country? It’s hard to argue that a country that was founded on the idea that all land-owning white males should get to vote is really the same as one that in 2022 believed that any citizen of any race or sex over the age of 18 should get a vote. Though, I suppose in some ways 2025 USA is showing it’s still the same country as 1776 USA.
It’s all pretty arbitrary though. What defines the start and end of a country? Does changing names count? Does changing borders? How radically does a government have to change to mean it’s a new country? How radically do founding documents need to be changed? I guess it’s the Country of Theseus. When is it no longer the same one?
The US civil war didn’t overhaul the entire system of government though, like what happened to Japan after WWII
I would say the 13th, 14th and 15th amendment, the Civil Rights Act of 1875, the various enforcement acts in the early 1870s, etc. did overhaul the system of government, by changing what it meant to be a citizen, defining people’s rights more explicitly, and outlawing slavery. Given that black people made up about 20% of the population, suddenly (theoretically) allowing them to vote and giving them the rights that non-slaves had was a pretty major change.
It’s going to be turned into a Dave and busters.
Then the US can only count since the civil war 🤷♂️ Or maybe since Hawaii’s invasion (1959).
I don’t consider different eras as different nations though. I think that’s splitting too many hairs. I see a nation as a country that is generally united and governed by a leading entity.
Going back to the Japan example, I would consider them a nation when all the clans were united under one rule. Same with UK, India, Thailand etc.