Essay #1 - What do you consider to have been the causes of the decline of the Roman Empire?.
When discussing the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire one has to see that this occurred over many years and had many different facets. Each issue has to be addressed independently with the understanding that they simultaneously combined to the dissension within the Empire and the falling of the borders that had been established during its height. By the end of the second century AD, the empire encompassed most of the Mediterranean, including Spain, France, most of Britain, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, Egypt, and Northern Africa. .
The beginning of the end for this great empire can be traced as far back as Julius Caesar and his crossing of the Rubicon with his army in order, according to him, to defend the Republic. After he accomplished this task, he was declared dictator for life, became a monarch in every way except by name that would continue on until the end of Western Roman Empire. He was assassinated on March 14th, 44 BC, his death was avenged, two years later he was proclaimed a god, and the republic was pronounced restored. By this time, though, the republic was wounded forever, slowly to lose sight of its original constitution and the principles that inspired it. .
This loss of their original idealism and the abandonment of the workings of the republic were the starting causes of the downfall of Rome that added to the dissension from within. The next step on the way down was both a practical one and one that, over the course of history, has shown to contribute heavily to any great power's downfall. Originally, the Roman legions were recruited from the land owning citizenry of the empire that had a vested interest in the foreign campaigns for new territories and conquests. But by 180 AD, at least one fourth of the empire's population, both military and civilian, was destroyed by a plague.
