The final centuries of the Western Roman Empire are remembered as some of the most tumultuous years in European history. What was once the mightiest state in the world bent beneath a myriad of tribal raids, economic failure and internal fragmentation. It is not in any way universally accepted by historians that it was solely the incursions of these so-called ‘barbarian’ tribes which saw the West ultimately crushed yet miraculously allowed the Eastern half of the empire to survive another millennium, in fact this outcome was probably due to a variety of factors. Yet it is clear the migration-fuelled assaults on the Roman world in the late 4th and 5th centuries had a far more devastating impact on the western provinces than those in the east. This essay will evaluate three key factors which explain to some extent the disparaging destinies between East and West Rome. Firstly, the slumping of the western economy in comparison with the Eastern Empire. Secondly, the internal strife which saw the west devolve into civil war and disjunction, weakening it to barbarian hostility. And finally, the external pressure as faced by both sides of the empire, as a succession of peoples from outside imperial Europe sought entry into the empire – peaceably or otherwise. It is likely a combination of all these elements as well as many others that led to the eventual usurpation of the old Roman heartlands by barbaric successor kingdoms. For centuries Rome had been the de facto power of Europe,
The Roman Empire is Europe’s great creation myth. The great Mediterranean empire has left a great legacy of culture, language, conquest, art, and science in Europe and beyond. But everything decays with time, especially memory. Our archeological and historical understanding of the Roman Empire is limited. These gaps in knowledge, combined with popular misconceptions relating to culture, politics, race, technology, politics, and religion from the period, mean that any “period” piece is bound to be historically inaccurate.
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 Empire conquered land at a previously unparalleled rate, within the known world, affecting its institutions from the rest of the Empire’s prevalence. From Hispania to Britannia sweeping across the mediterranean, gaining Egypt, ending in Persia; the absorption of Carthage and North Africa, and finally the civil war being won by Augustus, all brought upon the negative effects of their conquest. The Empire continued to grow from the year 200 B.C.E. to the year 200 C.E.; this growth had many effects upon the Empire. Although expansion and conquest are often good, seen as liberating, or wholly expansive in mathematical, philosophic, and scientific thought, this is not inherently the case. The Roman Empire’s expansion was not entirely as powerful and awe inspiring as many claim it to be; the greedily performed collection of lands resulted in many negative outcomes. These outcomes largely presented Rome with an issue they would never be able to recover from: empiric decay. The effects of militaristic expansion, of the Roman Empire, resulted in the decay of previously prosperous economic, political, and social institutions.
Government, city life, and infrastructure were all affected in Western Europe by Rome's fall. The Roman Empire’s fall was caused by a series of both external and internal actions. The size of the Roman Empire had become a major issue with due to Rome’s ignorance of the problems that could come with their immense size. The growth in Rome made it much more difficult to control, as well as a great deal harder to protect from invasions.
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
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.
In the 5th century C.E, the Roman Empire, a shell of what it once was, was sacked due to multiple problems inside and outside its huge borders. Weak leadership, military problems, & foreign invasions were the 3 primary reasons for the “fall” of Rome. Due to these unresolved issues, the Romans lost the power & authority that once made them so powerful and revered across the world and fell to enemies that they once could have easily defeated. To begin with, a constant change of weak leadership lead to an unstable empire. In Document A, emperors were constantly changing, often in violent ways such as assassination & suicide.
Although the fall of Rome remains obscure, what many historians fail to realize is that the decline of the Roman Empire was the epitome of cause and effect relationships. Properly analyzing the fall of Rome leads historians to realize that a chain of circumstances, beginning with the political corruption of the Western empire, was a catalyst for superfluous military spending and economic failure, all which contributed to the fall of Rome. Because the Praetorian Guard would select the highest bidder and put him into office, the emperors would not represent the people as a whole and did not instill the beliefs that the people held. In Document 1, Roman Emperors, 235-285, a chart shows the inconsistency of the Roman emperors and the violence
In conclusion, the previous events that lead to the fall of the Western Roman Empire, include many things. One of the catastrophic events that
The theories surrounding the decline of the Roman Empire is a widely- known historical debate. Endless questions have been proposed and
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.
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).
After decades of confrontation between Romans and Germanic tribes, who were more commonly known as barbarians, alliances began to form between the two groups. When the barbarians allied themselves with the Roman Empire, they were not considered Roman colonies or citizens, but instead known as ‘foederati’. They received the benefit of the Roman Empire’s support, sometimes with land, food, or money, in exchange for the barbarian’s military service in the Roman armies. One of the most well-known barbarian foederati groups were the Goths, however, their position as allies of the Empire was never permanent, nor were the relations ever completely peaceful. Despite the usually temporary nature of these alliances, both the Goths and the Romans benefited for several reasons. When the Goths were part of the Foederati they stopped hostilities between themselves and the Empire, gained mutual security from the threat posed by Hunnic aggression, and their people benefited from the introduction of Romanic society.
Since its collapse, historians have attempted to explain the struggle for power and control over both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire that followed. To explain the complexities of the Roman Republic, the Empire, and their political complexities can be a daunting task. For nearly ten centuries Rome would rule most of the known world before the fall of the Western Empire (Byzantine) in 476 C.E. Before that fall occurred, a fundamental change would take place that would transform the original Republic into the Roman Empire. Many factors would be directly and indirectly responsible for this transition. These would
In this essay, I will be discussing the origins and relevancy of Rome’s conquest of Italy during the Middle Republic. Included will be Rome’s governing structure of it’s allied states, and the treaties, both of which aided in the long term success of Rome.