How the Mighty Fall: Four Problems That Sunk Rome Rome was like the Titanic. It was majestic and powerful, but, like the Titanic, it sunk (or in this case, fell). Several problems are believed to have led up to this historic event, and, as of now, there are ten theories about the fall of Rome. They are as follows: political corruption, unemployment, the decline in morals and values, the rise of Christianity, urban decay, environmental and public health problems, the barbarian invasion, inflation, excessive military spending, and inferior technology. However, this essay shall only address four theories based on a recent survey of four history classes. In these classes, students were asked, after learning about the fall of Rome and the ten theories, to vote on which theories caused the worst damage. Political corruption, the rise of Christianity, the decline in morals and values, and the excessive military spending were …show more content…
This theory was both mentally and physically destructive to Rome. Every day, Roman citizens would spend their time in the Colosseum to watch other people fight and die. They saw the gladiators fight and kill for survival, and soon, no one thought there was any value in other lives - or anything wrong with murder. Due to this way of thinking, the streets were dangerous, as they were filled with violence. Another issue caused by the decline in morals and values was the difference between the rich and the poor. Upperclassmen would throw extravagant parties with equally extravagant amounts of food. In fact, those at such a party would eat until they became sick. And even when that happened, they would keep eating. Meanwhile, on the streets, those in the lower class would be starving to death. People were dying - in the Colosseum, on the streets, in the military - but no one cared. The decline in morals and values may be second, but it still was
Today, the Roman Empire is often pictured as a shining testament to simplicity, bravery, and imperialism. Many look to the longstanding success of Rome as an example for strong modern nations to follow, conveniently choosing to downplay the importance of Rome’s eventual downfall. While this image is not entirely incorrect, it fails to acknowledge the corruption that plagued Rome, a feature that was particularly evident during the empire’s decline. One of the most conventional examples of a time that suffered the outcomes of this corruption occurred during the third century A.D. While a number of factors contributed to this time of vast turmoil which would ultimately become known as the Third Century Crisis, one of the most substantial was the political instability that arose from the changes that were occurring inside the Roman military and its ties to succession.
In 476, Rome, one of the most powerful empires of its time, suddenly became weak and fell. There are many reasons for Rome’s decline, not just one main one. Out of all the events, conditions, and people the contributed to Rome’s decline, the most significant included economic problems and corruption, military problems, and weak leadership.
One of the greatest civilizations ever born was the Roman Empire. When it started off Rome was known as a “sleepy little town”(Background essay) that had awakened once the Greek empire began to fall. During the time of Julius Caesar was when Rome turned from republic to an Empire with Caesar as its first emperor. Soon over the years Rome became a powerhouse with its lands stretching all around the Mediterranean Sea. However unlike other civilizations where they fell because of other civilizations, Rome fell from within its walls because of several possible reasons and theories.
The great Roman Empire expanded across all of Europe and into the Middle East. Its military was one of the finest. With major trading in Africa and Britain, the economy flourished with brining many citizens a healthy income. With amazing advancements in culture and technology, Roman society was at its finest. During the Pax Romana, the Romans had 200 years of peace and good ruling by level headed dictators and emperors. Despite Rome’s greatness in all of these areas, Rome would eventually fall. Surprisingly all of these qualities that led up to a flourishing empire were the same ones that led to its demise. As Germanic tribes invaded, the military weakened and the government became unstable.
the Roman world was shaken by a violent and destructive earthquake.Fifty thousand persons had lost their lives in the flood in the city of Alexandria alone.Their fearful vanity was disposed to see a connection between the symptoms of a declining empire and a sinking world.More important in initiating the process of decline was a series of plagues that swept over the empire… which brought diseases from southern asia to new areas like the Mediterranean.The population of Rome decreased from a million people to 250,000.They need to pay the troops and couldn’t because of all the people that died could no longer work.So not the troops quit because they couldn't get paid, so no army and then loose fights and battles,which means more people
“We live in a dangerous world and we have a few good options, but the worst option is to do nothing.” Allan Trumbull. From the year 50 BCE till the year 200 CE, the empire prospered, as it slowly began to fall apart. Some of the reasons for the “Fall of Rome” were because of its internal problems due to Rome itself as others were external.
Rome, a grand empire, was known for its bloodshed and wealth, had a powerful period of conquering and culture. But why can an empire so huge and grand, fall to the ashes? Rome was a small settlement around 750 BC, then developed as the wealthy people grew weaker in Greece. Rome gradually expanded, as they conquered lands and made their small settlement into an empire. Even if a grand empire like Rome thrived on, they overcame problems that would lead to their fall. Through the use of primary and secondary source documents, this paper will explore the causes of the Roman Empire's ultimate downfall due to a combination of military problems, unstable government, and natural disasters and disease.
For a long period of time, Rome seemed like an unstoppable empire. It conquered the majority of the land surrounding it, including Greece, Turkey, Iraq, and many of its other neighboring countries. It seemed as though Rome would conquer the entire world, as it was the center of it, until it began to decline in 476 C.E. The very aspects that made it so successful were the ones that caused its collapse. Various political, religious, and economic reasons caused its downfall. The fact that the entire economy of Rome collapsed and money became worthless was a major reason for the empire’s collapse. In addition, the loss of a common religion and lack of efficient ruling in relation to its vast territory affected the empire. The Roman
The fall of the Roman Empire was an ambiguous process that many historians still ponder, and the components that made up the deterioration of the Empire remain obscure. However, what many historians fail to realize that the decline of the Roman Empire was the epitome of cause and effect. Properly analyzing the history behind the process leads historians to realize that it was a chain of circumstances that began with the political corruption of the Western empire. It was the catalyst for many of the other principal reasons for Rome’s decline. Political corruption was a fundamental factor that led to economic failure and superfluous military spending, all which contributed to the fall of Rome. Document 3, Roman ambassador to the Huns, 449 CE, illustrates how political corruption tore apart
The Roman Empire could be said as the greatest civilization of all time. It stretched from England to Nothern Africa to the Middle East; moreover, the Romans were skilled in culture, art, military, and politics and their inventions are still used to this day. For example, the Romans invented domes, arches, and vaults that can be seen in archietecture today. Their language, Latin, is used in half of English words. How did an empire so vast and great vanish? There are many factors that lead to the fall of Rome, but the main cause of Rome’s decline is because of social issues such as decrease in moral and traditional values and religion.
In the later half of the fourth century the Western Roman Empire fell after nearly a five hundred years of dominance and is still widely considered the world’s greatest superpower (Andrews). Many people attribute the crumbling of the empire to multiple different reasons, like corrupt and insane leaders to overspending and inflation. As J.B Bury said once “the fall of the roman empire was a series of contingent events. In this paper we are going to cover the three main reasons. Political and Economical problems plus problems with the military(Wood).
Many anthropologists and historians have speculated about the different causes and effects of the fall of the Roman Empire. Some have even stated that Rome did not fall but instead, was merely transformed. However, there were many causes that did end this prodigious empire. Many seemingly small decisions made by powerful emperors over the course of just over a century lead to its destruction. In this paper it will be established that the Roman emperors, in an effort to save their political power, made adjustments to warfare/treaty practices and made political changes which over time lead to the inevitable collapse of the realm, this caused a drastic regression in the living standards of the Roman citizens, implying that the Empire did indeed collapse and not transform.
The term “all great things must come to an end” is commonly associated with the decline of empires, dynasties, and rulers. When an empire with the capability of conquering nearly the entire Mediterranean area starts to see a decline in their republic after hundreds of years of gaining power and land, something must kick start such an event. One event that caused great turmoil in Roman history was the end of the Roman Republic. The focus of this paper will be on three events that contributed to the decline of the Roman Republic, which arguable came to an end in 49 BCE. Drawing from the works of Sallust, Cicero, lecture presentations, and various other authors, this paper will specifically focus on the decline of the Roman Republic from the
The fall of the Western Roman Empire is a theme that is central to any in-depth analysis of Roman civilization and one held a great fascination for centuries. It is well know that the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 C.E. to barbarians from Germanic tribes who hailed from the Rhine and Danube, but why were these tribes able to conquer an Empire that seemed unconquerable. How did such a vibrant, rich and powerful Empire fall? Famous historians such as Edward Gibbon made claims that Christianity contributed to the fall of Rome while others claimed that there are many different causes such as government corruption and political instability. In his book Peter Heather attempts to explain why things in the Roman Empire failed. He introduces the changes that the Roman Empire went through that eventually led to the downfall of the Western Roman Empire as an "overarching, supra-regional political structure"(pg. 432). Peter Heather takes us on a four hundred and fifty page journey that takes the reader on in in depth analysis of the different aspects of military and political Roman life mostly during the Late Antiquity. The layout is also practical and intelligent consisting of a timeline, nineteen pages of biographies of key individuals, a glossary of important terms of Late
The Roman Empire is known as one of the greatest empires of all time, blossoming politically, economically, and culturally. Rome was quickly expanding, reaching as far as North Africa. When Octavian came into power, the Pax Romana, or “Roman Peace,” began. However, this long peace may have triggered the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire. Because Rome was not distracted by conquering foreign lands, its citizens relaxed and lived in luxury. There did not seem to be any goals they did not meet; they were so blinded by their success that they did not realize complications within their own empire were slowly emerging. Some of these emerging factors that led to the downward spiral of Rome include: the instability and corruption of