The fall of the Roman Empire is one of the most widely debated issues in ancient history and scholars from around the world have expressed almost every possible point of view. Although there were many underlying problems with the Roman Empire that led to its decline and eventual fall, the main problems, in my opinion, were Rome's economic situation, the weakening of Rome's military, and Rome's overall gradual decline. Furthermore, the Barbarians were one of the leading factors of Rome's demise.
One of the main causes of economic difficulty in the empire was the sheer lack of circulating currency in the Western Empire. In all likelihood, enough currency would have been available, however, wholesale hoarding of bullion by individual Roman citizens, and widespread looting by the Barbarians drained Rome's once wealthy treasury. Due to these two factors along with the enormous trade deficit with the Eastern Empire stunted the growth of wealth in the western regions. (Gibbon).
Surprisingly, the climate of the Mediterranean may have contributed to the economic collapse in Rome. As the climate became more volatile, it began to alternate annually between hot droughts and cold, rainy seasons. Obviously, this would diminish crop yields and forced the Romans to start irrigation projects on lands that were previously self-sufficient. In order to build irrigation ditches, huge amounts of water are needed and soon Rome's water supply began to stagnate. Once Rome's water became stagnant, the environment was primed for malaria-carrying mosquitoes to invade. Eventually, malaria reached epidemic levels and decimated Rome's population. However, even if the malaria, the agricultural problems, or the invasion of barbarians never took place, the drastic changes in the climate would still have led to Rome's economic problems. Surprisingly, due to the climate changes, the average Roman citizen's physical and mental abilities were becoming increasingly difficult to sustain at the level at which they needed to be to keep Rome thriving.
The Roman Empire was an undisputed superpower in Western Civilization. ... He transformed the Roman Empire from a republic into a monarchy. ... Augustus added more territory, expanding the Roman Empire further than any other Roman. ... These rulers presided over the most majestic days of the Roman Empire. ... He reunited the Roman Empire and tried to create the impression of order. ...
Justinian's Flea by William Rosen describes the fall of the Roman Empire from the division of the Empire by Diocletian to the start of the rise of the Islamic powers. Rosen's book is one of many that has attempted to make sense of the time of transition between the end of the Roman Empire and what we call Medieval Europe. The Roman Empire was split up by Diocletian into east and west with Rome being the dividing line. ... Rosen is clear in stating that the Byzantine Empire is not the Roman Empire but in fact is unique in its culture its laws and its architecture. ... Belisarius was t...
The Fall of The Roman Empire The fall of Rome had many aspects that affected it. ... The Roman empire had many problems that were not fixed and they became bigger and bigger until it crush the whole empire. ... (Document 5) to explain this more the roman empire stopped expanding after they adopted Christianity .Due to the benevolence of the christian god the roman citizens decided to give up Rome's traditional warlike habits because of the god they kind became soft and they were weak. ... Due to the falling off within the Roman empire, it was dying from the inside out and they never tried...
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall"; this can be compared to the Roman Empire's existence. ... However, the Roman Empire eventually collapsed after a period of five centuries. ... The Romans did not see the point in conquests anymore because the Empire was already hard enough to govern. ... Another reason for the fall of the Roman Empire was the rise of Christianity. ... However, in 476, Odoacer, a German general in the Roman army, invaded the empire. ...
Hersch was saying, Christianity wasn't a threat to the Roman Empire because the Roman Empire tolerated monotheism. Roman Empire was okay with people who believed in one god as long as they don't seemed threatening to the Roman Empire. ... The early Christians are responsible too for spreading the messages of the Lord in the Roman Empire. ... This illustrates that when the number of Christians doubled, Roman Empire saw this as a threat. The Romans felt that Christians are against the Roman Empire so they killed, tortured and crucified Christians. ...
The Roman Empire eventually declined for a number of reasons. ... (Mehalek, "The Fall of The Roman Empire") The Empire had grown to large for one emperor to successfully and effectively govern the land. ... (Forsythe, "From Republic To Empire") The resulting weakened Roman Empire caused the soldiers to have a lack of confidence and spirit. ... (Heitman "About the fall of the Roman Empire") All of these things may not have lead to the complete collapse of the Roman Empire if it weren't for the other surrounding circumstances. ... Defeats that eventually led to the complete destruction o...
The Roman Empire was one of the most successful empire of its time and lasted from about 500 B.C. to about 500 A.D. Many things the Romans did attributed to the success and longevity of the Roman Empire. ... One of the most important reasons for Roman success was, Romans wanted to achieve something called Pax Romana or Roman Peace through out their empire. ... During the Roman Empire there were many important leaders who contributed a lot to the success of Roman. ... The Roman Empire was the most successful of any empire of its time. ...
The Roman Empire was plagued by tyrannous rulers, whose actions did not favor the people. ... And even though the Roman Empire lasted so long, there were times when its longevity was questioned; unfortunately those questions were never answered. ... The tyrannous rulers are not all to blame for the fall of the Roman Empire. ... More bad luck was to be found in the Roman Empire. ... The Roman Empire represented lost dreams, lost hope, and doom. ...
The Han and Roman Empires The Roman Empire and the Han Empire were similar and different in many ways. ... The Roman Empire, government system established by Rome lasted for nearly five centuries. ... In comparison with the Roman Empire the Han Empire was also known for its military prowess. ... To sum this essay up both the Han Empire and Roman Empire were very similar. ... The Han and Roman empires had strong leaders and strong citizens which made them who they were. ...
What were the most important reasons for the decline of the Roman Empire? ... The seemingly unstoppable Roman Empire was bound to fall after the many aspects that made Rome such a dominant empire started to fade away. ... Christianity a new religion appealed to the majority of the people of the Roman Empire. ... The Roman government system was designed to control a city-state not a giant empire. ... The Roman Empire did not fall in a day but rather fell victim to a gradual decline in the prosperity due to many illogical decisions made by the Romans themselves. ...
