...The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire Although the Roman Empire experienced many great accomplishments the decline led to many challenges. There were invasions by Barbarian tribes as well as economic troubles. Due to a final crisis, the empire began to crumble. Rome was being attacked by outside forces causing the constant spending. The empire became very dependent of their slaves to farm the land and work as craftsmen. The Roman empire is believed to have taken about a century until it finally failed in 476 A.D. So many negative contributions led to Rome’s Empire falling. Another cause of the fall of the roman empire involved the over-expansion and military overspending. The empire stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Euphrates River. There was still not enough military to keep outside attackers away. So much money was put into the military that eventually the empire fell into a huge negative financial disparity. With the majority of the money available going into the upkeep of the military many citizens began to lose hope in the empire. The military then transformed and there was no real loyalty to the city of Rome. Christianity is believed to be another reason why the Roman Empire failed. There had been a vast majority of people converting to the Christian faith. Constantine produced The Edict of Milan. This legalized Christianity and allowed religious freedom within the empire. With the rise of Christianity, a large amount of money was put into...
Words: 558 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 892 - Pages: 4
...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
...The Rise of the Papacy The rise to power of the Papacy in the Roman Empire during the 6-9th centuries is crucial to the history of the church. There were many theories as to why the Papacy earned such central power. Included in these were the rise of the early church, and also the negative and positive effects of individuals related tot he government of the Roman Empire. Altogether it took many steps in a long process for the Papacy to gain such control. What is clear though is that the Papacy held firm control until the reformation. This paper will expand on the reasons for the rise of the Papacy in power, what allowed for it to thrive, and also negative and positive impacts on the empire and even the world. Fall of the Roman Empire There were many factors, and theories that are included when one is speaking of the fall of the Roman Empire. One of the first theories centers around disease and plagues. Some historians maintain that the Empire was crippled, as many diseases and plagues circled the Empire. They crippled families, workers and even members who were involved with the government. Another small factor may have been the decay of the army. The army say an increase in more German peoples, which may have altered the morale of the army, and even the size of the army itself. One large theory also centers around the government of the Empire. Many historians also believe that the Roman Empire set itself up for failure.(1) In the way that the...
Words: 1783 - Pages: 8
...The 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
...| 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
...The Romans were a very powerful civilization who conquered a lot of land and territories, after Rome was founded at around 753 B.C.E. This powerful empire which is better known as the “Roman Empire” flourished under three different periods which are The empire which was ruled by an emperor, the Republic which was ruled by the Senate, and Monarchical period which was ruled by Kings. Although the Roman Empire was a strong and powerful one, they had their fair share of problems to include a civil war and other conflicts that slow them down for a little, but didn’t stop them. The main question is, how did the Romans come to dominate Italy? The answer to this question can varies, but the Romans used brute force and military power along with alliances to conquered and dominate Italy piece by piece. The Romans learn the true value of the word alliances and used it to their advantage during the conquest of Italy. This was...
Words: 672 - Pages: 3
...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
...According to many history books found at school, the fall of the Roman Empire can be attributed to one thing – the demise of the capitol of the Empire, carried out by the Visigoths from Germany. Roman soldiers were pulled back from a defense post in the Rhine-Danube frontier, where they held back the barbarians, to fight in Italy, leaving an open Roman border to attack. The Visigoths looted, burned, and ransacked their way through the entire capitol city, Rome, for three whole days. This was considered a major event back in its day because much of the western part of the Empire had already fallen, making Rome an exaggerated center for the existing parts of the Empire. In 476 A.D., the Germanic general Odacer inevitably overthrew Augustus and Romulus, the last of the Roman Emperors. Roads and bridges were left in disrepair, agriculture never picked back up, and pirates made travel very unsafe, officially signaling the total fall of the Roman Empire. Although most agree that this was the ultimate demise of the Empire, this was not the reason that the Empire became so weak, in order for it to be taken over so easily. Rome, considered, the ‘mighty city’ by many, could not have fallen so easily to barbarians without some external and internal conflicts, eventually weakening the whole Empire into both economic and physical decay....
Words: 1757 - Pages: 8
...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
...began the systematic husbandry of plants and animals.[3][4][5] Agriculture advanced, and most humans transitioned from a nomadic to a settled lifestyle as farmers in permanent settlements. Nomadism continued in some locations, especially in isolated regions with few domesticable plant species;[6] but the relative security and increased productivity provided by farming allowed human communities to expand into increasingly larger units, fostered by advances in transportation. World population[7] from 10,000 BCE to 2,000 CE. The vertical (population) scale is logarithmic. As farming developed, grain agriculture became more sophisticated and prompted a division of labor to store food between growing seasons. Labor divisions then led to the rise of a leisured upper class and the development of cities. The growing complexity of human societies necessitated systems of writing and accounting.[8] Many cities developed on the banks of lakes and rivers; as early as 3000 BCE some of the first prominent, well-developed settlements had arisen in Mesopotamia,[9] on the banks of Egypt's River Nile,[10][11][12] and in the Indus River valley.[13][14][15]...
Words: 3787 - Pages: 16
...The Fall of the Roman Empire There are adherents to single factors, but more people think Rome fell because of a combination of such factors as Christianity, and economy, and military problems. Even the rise of Islam is proposed as the reason for Rome's fall, by some who think the Fall of Rome happened at Constantinople in the 15th Century. Most people think it occurred during the fifth century, after the western division of the empire. There were several reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire. Many often blame the initiation of Christianity for the decline. Christianity made many Roman citizens into pacifists, making it more difficult to defend against the barbarian attackers. Some say the money used to build churches could have been used to maintain the Roman Empire. Maintaining an army to defend the border of the Empire from barbarian attacks was a constant drain on the government. Military spending left few resources for other vital activities, such as providing public housing and maintaining quality roads and aqueducts. Frustrated Romans lost their desire to defend the Empire. The empire had to begin hiring soldiers recruited from the unemployed city mobs or worse from foreign counties. Such an army was not only unreliable, but very expensive. The emperors were forced to raise taxes frequently which, in turn, led to increased inflation. The Roman economy suffered from inflation (an increase in prices) beginning after the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Once the Romans...
Words: 621 - Pages: 3
...In the time period from 600 BC to 600 CE came the rise and fall of many great empires. The decline of empires is extremely relevant to the time period as by 600 CE many forms of the empires had fallen. Empires would fall for many reasons, invasion, disease, poor government et cetera. In the fall of Han China and the Roman Empire, one is able to see all of the contributing factors to the collapse of an empire as large and important as these. The internal workings of the empire had a lot to do with the staying power of the dynasty. If the government was well managed then the empire would be successful, and if not, as most were not, the empire would be sent into a downward spiral. In Han China, the lack of ability to work as a cohesive group...
Words: 470 - Pages: 2
...The Fall of the Roman Empire Corey Aiken History of Western Civilization 201- D03 16 April 2013 The fall of the Roman Empire cannot be attributed to one single event. This process took several hundred years, and only resulted in the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The Eastern half-wealthier, more populous, less afflicted with civil wars, and less exposed to barbarian invasions- survived as the Byzantine Empire until the middle of the fifteenth century (Perry, Chase, Jacob, Jacob, Von Laue, 2009). There are several reasons for the decline of Western Rome such as: the role of the Germanic tribes, along with political, military and spiritual considerations and economic conditions. One reason for the fall of the Western Roman Empire is the role of the Germanic Tribes. It is interesting to note that, “the importing of tribal peoples into the Roman Empire was a permanent imperial policy which expanded in scale over the centuries (Williams, Friell 1994). There were many critics and supporters of this risky policy. The Roman aim was to encourage small, friendly client chieftainships who would both respect the Roman frontiers and protect them against other tribal threats, often in return for Roman help against their tribal enemies (Williams, Friell 1994). The Romans understood that these tribal people were instinctively people of war, and would undoubtedly end up fighting one another. Therefore the Romans decided to let them do so for the benefit of the empire, and began to...
Words: 1097 - 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
