The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
The early stories were inspired by Edward Gibbon's "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire". The plot of the series focuses on the growth and reach of the Foundation, against a backdrop of the "decline and fall of the Galactic Empire." The themes of Asimov's stories were also influenced by the political tendency in SF fandom, associated with the Futurians, known as Michelism.