What If? The Roman Empire somehow gained Industrial Era Technology?

[CarlManvers2019]

Let’s say this occurs anytime long before they convert to Catholicism and some sort of new renaissance occurs at the same time? Alongside a possible industrial arms race

Alien Space Bats may or may not be in play

I expect this “Greek Fire” to be used somehow

Does the Roman Empire conqueor Europe, Asia and Africa? Does it discover the Americas?

Does its inventions get stolen or learned by foreign powers? How long does slavery last?

 

[The Immortal Watch Dog]

Rome could have had an industrial revolution whenever it wanted, it didn't because they lacked the social pressures that caused the industrial revolution in the west millennia later.

See slavery ended in the UK and servitude and the like because it became far cheaper to just pay a wage for efficient labor because the populations they could have plundered for cheap and easy labor began to dwindle more and more and most of their rivals had begun to keep pace with them technologically. The need to innovate to maintain a flourishing Empire and to promote growth was what spurred the Brits.

By the time Rome reached that point their society was already on the verge of total collapse and it was too late to do anything.

 

[CarlManvers2019]

Rome could have had an industrial revolution whenever it wanted, it didn't because they lacked the social pressures that caused the industrial revolution in the west millennia later.

See slavery ended in the UK and servitude and the like because it became far cheaper to just pay a wage for efficient labor because the populations they could have plundered for cheap and easy labor began to dwindle more and more and most of their rivals had begun to keep pace with them technologically. The need to innovate to maintain a flourishing Empire and to promote growth was what spurred the Brits.

By the time Rome reached that point their society was already on the verge of total collapse and it was too late to do anything.

So if it somehow did get said social pressures, would it still be an Empire?

Would its technological advances get “stolen” or copied by foreign enemies before they conquer them?

How would social mobility be? Would there still be a Roman Emperor? How long would it take to abandon slavery?

 

[The Immortal Watch Dog]

So if it somehow did get said social pressures, would it still be an Empire?

I don't see why it wouldn't, but the nature of the Empire would change a great deal I'd think, but the most destructive elements of the old empire would be dialed up to 11.

Rome was more or less screwed by massive public subsidy schemes and uncontrolled immigration by germanic and Persian tribes and outsourcing their military to said tribes...The West died in the mother of all welfare riots. This was done to maintain political monopolies...in an industrialized society the incentives to abuse such a system is even more abundant and the US largely avoided the fate of say the EU, because the dawn of its industrial age occurred concurrently with a massive cultural shift towards self reliance and a near religious obsession with self governance.

Rome doesn't have that in post Republic era and it had a bastard version of that when it did.

Would its technological advances get “stolen” or copied by foreign enemies before they conquer them?

I don't think so...the only nation that comes close to even understanding the basic principles behind say..a steel factory would be China and maaaybbbeee a couple Indian kingdoms...And neither of them really did anything with that.

How would social mobility be? Would there still be a Roman Emperor? How long would it take to abandon slavery?

Given how Romans viewed Actors and merchants...One imagines the next massive social insurrection will be the performers followed by the business class.

How that affects Rome depends..Slavery lasts as long it takes a Roman tax collector to put two and two together about the benefits of being able to shake down a working class that gets decent wages.


Rome would still have an Emperor..or several. But the extent of their executive powers would be different I'd imagine.

 

[CarlManvers2019]

@The Immortal Watch Dog
Speaking of the Indians, ever read David Drake’s Belisarius Saga

The Main Antagonists are the Malwa Empire who received some being called “Link” and made it both semi-industrialized and the most evil(to the shock of even other neighbors who practice rape and pillage and slavery)Empire around that’s more intrusive in everyday affairs than anybody else

The protagonists are Romans, though the MC is Thracian and his wife is Egyptian