...Oscar Villanueva Why the Roman Republic Decayed and Became the Roman Empire The rise and subsequent fall of the city of Rome was a significant historical event, characterized by the dramatic decline of the republic, to her transformation into an empire. Originally a small provincial town, Rome rose to prominence and produced astounding strengths, which was then lost when Rome became incapable of defending its governing structures of the republic. It is the purpose of this study to highlight these events, giving reasons that led to the decay of the Roman Republic, and the rise of the Roman Empire. The prominence of Rome Rome was a small province town which after many wars became the focus and command center of the vast empire of Rome. However, history tells us that it took hundreds of years and a combat of many wars to rise to this prominence. It gained influence over a significant portion of southern Europe, northern Africa, and Middle East. Rome conquered nearly all the surrounding territories going beyond the Mediterranean Sea. It was this military dominance in the region that helped the Roman republic rise and became a formidable force of influence. The republic had appeasing methods of keeping her citizens happy and content. In this endeavor, Rome respected and protected the people’s local cultures with the sole purpose of keeping the people pacified. The Romans in their quest for improved stability, offered a healthier way of life to...
Words: 1112 - Pages: 5
...The Western Roman Empire expanded into three continents, Africa, Asia, and Europe. The Roman Empire once was the greatest There were many different religions and cultures in the empire. In 284, Diocletian became the strong emperor. Diocletian tried to help the empire by doubling the army and hired German mercenaries. Diocletian also had the idea of dividing the Roman Empire in half. Diocletian took over the East half while Constantine took over the West. In the East and the West they speak different languages. In the East they spoke Greek, while in the West they spoke Latin. During the ruling of Constantine and Diocletian, the capital was moved to the old city of Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople. The Eastern Empire became the...
Words: 1119 - Pages: 5
...Eulogy for The Fall of Rome The fall of Rome was the biggest tragedy the world has ever experienced. Rome had so much accomplishments, however, Rome had a lot of causes of decline, too. Rome was the largest culture known for its savagery and integrity. Rome had supreme control for 500 years, from 27 BCE to 476 CE. Rome's first emperor was Julius Caesar, however, people didn't vote for Julius Caesar, he declared himself, that he's the emperor. After Julius Caesar died, people voted for the second emperor, which was Caesar Augustus. At 117 CE, the Roman Empire spawned to the Mediterranean world, which was from Northern Africa to the Scottish border, and from Spain to Syria. Rome had so much accomplishments, that Rome became famous because of their accomplishments. Some accomplishments...
Words: 443 - Pages: 2
...Rise and Fall of Rome The Economics Behind an Empire 4/18/2013 ECO 120 Seb Jaramillo The Rise and Fall of Rome To many people, the ancient world has always been a topic of great interest and study. The ancient world is essentially the explanation for how the world ended up where it is today. Our ancestors laid down the foundation that would help form and mold today’s civilization and the way people live out their lives in modern times. Perhaps no civilization of the past did more for the future than the efforts and contributions of the Roman Empire. For almost a millennia, the Romans controlled the vast majority of the world. Their Empire made it possible to spread wealth and knowledge to the far corners of the world and lay down a base common knowledge that helped pave the path for people to follow. This paper shall look into the background of Rome and see what economic forces helped lead to the formation of such a formidable empire. What allowed these people to become so wealthy and construct a vast territory? Why was it easy for the Romans to do so much while many other nations are still set back in our day and age? The paper shall also look at the forces at work near the end of the Western Empire that brought an end to the glory and majesty of Rome and how this knowledge can perhaps produce a means of prevention of the same fate for the United States. The city of Rome became a Republic around the year 509 BC. By the end of the first century BC Rome controlled...
Words: 3070 - Pages: 13
...RISE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE The invading army touched the boarders of Rome, which had been left totally undefended. In 410 C.E. (common area), the Visigoths, led by Alaric, breached the walls of Rome and ravaged the capital of the Roman Empire. The Visigoths looted, burned, vandalized, and pillaged their way through the city, leaving a trail of destruction wherever they went. The plundering continued for three days. For the first time in nearly a millennium, the city of Rome was in the hands of someone other than the Romans. This was the first time that the city of Rome was sacked, but by no means the last. Constantine and the Beginning of Christianity One of the many factors that contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire was the rise of a new religion, Christianity. The Christian religion, which was monotheistic (to believe in one god), ran counter to the traditional Roman religion, which was polytheistic (many gods). At different times, the Romans persecuted the Christians because of their beliefs, which were popular with the poor. This 16th-century medal depicts Attila the Hun, one of the most vicious and aggressive invaders of all time. In 313 C.E., Roman emperor Constantine the Great ended all persecution and declared toleration for Christianity. Later that century, Christianity became the official religion of the Empire. This extreme change in policy spread this rather new religion to every corner of the Empire. By approving Christianity, the Roman state directly...
Words: 892 - Pages: 4
...| The fall of the Roman Empire | How Christianity played a part in the decline of an Empire | | | | 8/1/2014 | Paper outline 1. Introduction 2. Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire 3. How Christianity played a part in the decline of the Roman Empire 4. The situation after the fall of the Roman Empire 5. The situation in the dark ages 6. Conclusion 7. Bibliography “Why did Rome fall?” still remains one the greatest questions of Western history. Many books have been written about this topic and many theories have been advanced about the reason of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Several reasons are issued for the fall. These reasons are issued to be sequacious and interwoven. For example, one of the most influential modern historians, Edward Gibbon wrote “The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire” in 1776, where he stated that the initiation of Christianity was one of the reasons for the decline. The transition of religions in the Roman Empire, from a polytheistic religion to a monotheistic religion, leads to instability within the Empire. (Gibbon, 1782) How Christianity was a factor in the decline of the Western Roman Empire will be discussed more extensively in this paper. In the beginning, Christianity was not more than an insignificant sect of Judaism and began its spread from Roman Judaea during the life of Jesus, but in only four centuries Christianity had become the state religion of the Roman Empire. The rise...
Words: 1235 - Pages: 5
...Rome was an empire of influence, culture, and prosperity. In its span of 500 years, Rome created works of art and literature that still continue to influence our society today. Rome was an incredibly powerful civilization and conquered many lands and other weaker civilizations. Through this, they managed to create an incredibly large and diverse empire. However, this prosperity wouldn’t last forever. In fact, after their reign of 500 years was over, the Western half of Rome fell. The Eastern half, on the other hand, managed to stay prosperous for roughly 1,000 years. Not only did the Byzantine Empire, survive past the decline of its Western half, it managed to thrive and produced many valuable works that are just as inspiring as those produced...
Words: 816 - Pages: 4
...The Roman Empire The Roman Empire was one of the strongest empires in all of mankind. The Roman Empire has such a rich history and shows how power and strategic tactics can run an empire efficiently. The Roman Empire was characterized by an autocratic form of government which meant the top leaders made all the important decisions. They had a large territorial area around the Mediterranean which went into present day Europe, Africa, and Asia. Rome history starts at the time it was know as Rome Republic and was ran by royal Rome. There Imperium was in command and are represented by consuls and the senate and assembly. Rome in their Republic they started their conquest as they fought Carthage in three Punic Wars. Carthage main advantage was their navy and Hannibal was leading Carthage to victory over Rome and take over. But Rome had its own power in Scipio Africanus and he ended Hannibals victory run and they were able to hold Carthage back and became the the power of the west with a great strategic army. The fall of the Republic started with Julius Caesar he mid wife of the Roman Empire and was more of a dictator figure. Julius Caesar was part of the first triumvirate of the new Roman Empire. He was ulitmately betrayed at the end of his term. Octavian, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, would take over after Caesars untimely end. He lead Rome to its second triumvirate and was the first empire of Rome. After Emperor Augustus took over and was a very low profile ruler and...
Words: 772 - Pages: 4
...Rome was one of the greatest civilizations the world will ever see. They gained their power from conquering other civilizations and empires. At one point, Rome had the entire Mediterranean under their control. It had one of the greatest armies, logical architecture, and beautiful art. So why did the great empire fall? Despite being a great civilization, Rome still had it’s fair share of problems to deal with in their own way. First of all, disease and disasters would be a problem for any of the great civilizations in the Mediterranean. The measles, a rash and blight of the Roman Empire, spread throughout most empires concerning even the greats like Rome. Not to mention Rome was home to some traumatizing natural disasters including the earthquake...
Words: 466 - Pages: 2
...Rome, the most powerful empire Europe has ever seen- collapsed. The Roman Empire was very powerful, having borders as far North as Scotland, extending as far south into Northern Africa. Consisting of 2.3 million square miles, with a population of 80 million people. With each opportunity to conquer lands, the empire took it. Gaining power with each conquest, perhaps becoming too powerful. Correspondingly, the rise and fall of Rome began with it’s establishment, emperors, and actions. Moreover, the Roman Empire’s rise began with the establishment of Rome. Roman origins began during 1000-500 BCE, its earliest settlements on Palatine Hill. These settlements then turned into a republic, forming during 509-31 BCE. As a result of the Battle of Actium, the republic ended beginning the Roman Empire. Likewise, within the empire, there were two classes of people, the plebeians and patricians. Yet within these two classes of people order was needed. Laws, also known as the Twelve Tables, were written. Furthermore, along with a “new collection” of laws, the Roman empire gained control...
Words: 584 - Pages: 3
...John Heywood used the expression “Rome was not built in a day” to make the argument that great things take time to build. In the song “Clique”, Kanye West boasts, “so I just meditate at the home in Pompeii/about how I could build a new Rome in one day” (101-102). In these lines, the always hubris Kanye accepts Heywood’s challenge and plots how he can build a new Rome in one day. There is no question that Kanye cannot rebuild the Roman Empire in one day, nevertheless the real question is how could one of the most powerful ancient empires fall? Over the years, historians have attributed the fall of the Roman Empire to many different factors. I believe that immigration played the biggest role in the fall of the Roman Empire...
Words: 1106 - Pages: 5
...Between the years 376 to 476 A.D., the Roman Empire in the west “saw the political Germanization of the western empire,” and the Roman Empire in the west had declined and collapsed. The Roman Empire did not particularly collapse solely because of the barbarians who invaded, but rather a variety of factors influenced her downfall. While there were certainly barbarian tribes who raided and sacked Rome and quickened the decline, there were also other barbaric tribes that actually helped Roman civilization from completely dying out. There was more of a series of causes that led to the decline of Rome. One other appropriate note to make is to say that Rome did not fall, like the fall of Carthage for instance, but rather simply changed. During...
Words: 568 - Pages: 3
...Rome was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, but like all great things, Rome came to an end. Rome was large in size therefore it was very hard to defend from the many enemies who wanted land. There was also corrupted government in Rome and civil wars occurred because certain people wanted power. The size of Rome and the amount of money they spent on military was also a big part in the fall. Overall Rome was a great empire but war, poor leadership, the rise of The Middle East, and the size and spending led to the end of the Roman Empire. The Barbarians were a Germanic tribes who wanted more land. The barbarians crossed the border of Rome looking for more land, this angered Rome and they sent an attack to defeat the barbarians, this attack did not farewell for the Romans because they were not used to the Barbarians ruthless, aggressive attacks. The Barbarians met the leaders of Rome and asked for peace in exchange for some land, the Romans...
Words: 724 - Pages: 3
...Decline of Rome's Empire Over the years, Rome's greatest attributes faded away little by little. The seemingly unstoppable city began to lose its dominance over surrounding city-states. Because of their power and control, the citizens thought the decline of Rome was unheard of. That was until the city made many poor decisions that had a vast affect on the city itself, which eventually led to the fall of the empire. The political instability, economic crisis, and resilience of outside forces resulting from a weak military were the major factors that led to the fall of Rome's giant empire. The first factor that my essay will address is the weakening of Rome's military. As we know, Rome was known for having the strongest military mostly because of their discipline. However, once the control slipped, soldiers became lazy, negligent, and drills were abandoned. An example of this is shown in document #2 where the text explains how soldiers became lazier and chose not to wear equipment while...
Words: 1046 - Pages: 5
...The Barbarians were the catalyst for the fall of the Western Roman Empire and there were already pre-existing conditions that provided the framework for the collapse. English historian Edward Gibbon even said that “the story of its ruin is simple and obvious; and, instead of inquiring why the Roman Empire was destroyed, we should rather be surprised it subsisted so long” . The first factor that arises with pre-existing conditions is that the Germanic tribes were forced in because of the Hunnic barbarians . The Germanic tribes were forced to choose between fighting the Hunnic barbarians or the Romans and they chose to fight the Romans. “By c. 410 Goths, Vandals, Alans, and Suevi had made their way into the Western Roman Empire directly as a...
Words: 1099 - Pages: 5
