And how big was Egypt? You cannot cherry-pick your own examples when there is plenty of contradictory evidence.
In principle, the US has an ideal system for honest people. Unfortunately, there are too many dishonest people in the US for an “honor” system to work.
When politicians can be bought, only a few rich people will enjoy the nation’s wealth. The rest will be in the working middle class that pays for all the expenses and the poor to remind the middle class to always show up on time.