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Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire Essay

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During the time between 27 B.C. and A.D. 180 the Roman Empire was experiencing a time of peace and prosperity called the Pax Romana. Rome was thriving under the rule of Augustus, who established the foundations of a strong government, including trade, transportation and help for citizens of the lower classes. This foundation was strong for a short amount of time, though, it was not long until Rome fell back into the hands of a corrupt leader, Nero. As Roman culture evolved, branching new ideas from Greece, a new religion developed. This religion is called Christianity and it went against the ideals of Greek religion. Christians believed in one God which created change in society. In attempts to end this change, Nero persecuted Christians. Though …show more content…

The Roman military consisted solely of mercenaries because citizens found fighting pointless if they were not going to get anything in return. The idea of finding honor in serving and defending Rome was lost as people began to struggle to afford their lives in Rome. Without a strong military Rome was unable to defend the Goths invading the Empire. The Goths were described as having “desire of plundering the possessions of others, went on ravaging and slaughtering all the nations in their neighborhood” (How Did The Barbarians Invade The Empire? 28). The Goths were aggressive and were able to easily plow through Rome, which was once one of the most feared empires in the area. Without a strong military prepared to fight for Rome, Rome was defenseless in the invading attacks from the Barbarians. The loss of fighting for a country out of gravitas led to the inevitable downfall of Rome because the Empire was left defenseless against the

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