The Decline of Rome
Most scholars agree that there was no single problem that caused the decline of Rome. Instead, they think that many political, economic, and social problems, both internal and external, gradually destroyed the strength of the Roman Empire.
Barbarian Invasions
The major external problem for the Roman Empire was barbarian invasion mainly from German tribes. Continuous threats required Rome to build and maintain a strong army that could protect the Empire’s borders. For years the well-disciplined Roman army held the barbarians in check. However, as the Empire expanded it became more expensive to defend the borders and the government were forced to hire foreign soldiers who were not as patriotic or loyal to Rome. Between the third and fifth centuries the Huns, the Ostrogoths, the Lombards, the Vandals, and the Franks all entered and overran the borders of Rome. Although the defenses of the Empire were strong around the edges, they were weak in the middle. Therefore, once tribes broke through the defenses it was easy for them to keep going. In 410 the Visigoths captured Roman and sacked the ancient city. By the mid-400s Germanic tribes had claimed large parts of the western empire.
Expansion
The Roman Empire grew too fast and became too large. Rome tried to rule the entire Mediterranean world with a government that was originally designed for a small city-state. Roman citizens gradually lost their feelings of responsibility toward their government. They expected the emperor to look after their needs, but the vast size of the Empire made efficient government difficult, even under good rulers. Even with the increase of taxes, there was not enough money to effectively finance the growing empire’s needs.
Excessive Military Spending to Defend the Empire
Maintaining an army to defend the borders of the growing 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 the quality of public roads. As Romans became frustrated they lost their desire to defend the Empire. And the government found it necessary to rely increasingly on hired soldiers recruited from the unemployed city mobs or foreign countries. These soldiers were unreliable, had little loyalty to Rome, and were very expensive. Thus, the emperors were forced to raise taxes frequently—the majority of which were paid by businessmen and farmers, which hurt the economy.
Unemployment
During the later years of the Roman Empire wealthy men who owned large farming estates increased their use of slave labor. By using slaves the large estate owners could sell more goods for cheaper prices.Small farmers who had to pay workmen could not compete with slaveowners andmany lost or sold their farms. Thousands of these farmers and their families moved to the cities of the Empire, where there were not enough jobs to accommodate them. At one time, the emperor was importing grain to feed more than 100,000 unemployed people in Rome alone. As the unemployed mobs in the cities increased, frustration grew, morality declined, and crime drastically increased. These issues led to urban decay.
Political Corruption
One of Rome’s most serious problems was the difficulty of choosing new emperors. The Romans never created an effective system to determine how new emperors would be selected. For this reason, the choice of a new emperor had always open to debate between the old emperor, the Senate, the Praetorian Guard (the emperor’s private army), and the army. Eventually, powerful generals in the Praetorian Guard and army took over control of the decision and fought amongst themselves about who should be the next emperor.Beginning in 186 A.D. the practice began of selling the throne to the highest bidder. Often these emperors were cruel and greedy, putting their own interests before the needs of the Empire. During the next 100 years, Rome had 37 different emperors—25 of whom were removed from office by assassination.
High Taxes
Some of the most serious problems of the Empire were economic. Government expenses were heavy. Taxes had to finance the construction of public buildings and roads, the purchase of grain for the poor, and the maintenance of the army. With almost one-third of their wages going toward taxes, the Roman middle class was destroyed. However, even these unbearably heavy taxes could not produce enough money to run the government. As roads and bridges were left unmaintained military troops and supplies became more difficult to move across the vast Empire. Additionally, it became harder for farmers and merchants to travel and conduct trade. Thus, trade declinedand prices rose beyond control.
WHY DID THE ROMAN EMPIRE COLLAPSE?
Rome faced many problems that eventually caused the Empire to collapse by 500 A.D. Many of these problems were connected. Below, draw arrows between problems that were connected. Label the
Cause – a reason WHY something happens
Effect – something that happens BECAUSE OF something else