Dude, Britain prior to Thatcher and after Churchill wasn't exactly "slow" decline, it was probably the most starting collapse of an empire anyone had ever seen.

In 1940 they went from a world spanning empire that had some of the largest and most powerful forces in the world, with the wealthiest society, and only recently being challenged by the US ...

To 1960 where not only was trash over-flowing in the streets, perpetual riots in Wales, a communist-nationalist insurgency in Northern Ireland, a total evaporation of that empire, and socialist policies so bad that morgues were over-flowing with bodies and being placed outside to rot in the street because the morgue-workers union was striking.

Rome had a slower collapse.

Fuck, the Assyrians had a slower collapse.

Hell, Macedon had a less destructive collapse, at least.

Dude, Britain prior to Thatcher and after Churchill wasn't exactly "slow" decline, it was probably the most starting collapse of an empire anyone had ever seen.

In 1940 they went from a world spanning empire that had some of the largest and most powerful forces in the world, with the wealthiest society, and only recently being challenged by the US ...

To 1960 where not only was trash over-flowing in the streets, perpetual riots in Wales, a total evaporation of that empire, and socialist policies so bad that morgues were over-flowing with bodies, and being placed outside to rot in the street because the morgue-workers union was striking.

Rome had a slower collapse.

Fuck, the Assyrians had a slower collapse.

Hell, Macedon had a less destructive collapse, at least.