Social Causes
As the Roman Empire expanded, Rome itself changed a great deal. Vast numbers of people from the conquered territories, attracted by the wealth of Roman society, migrated to the Rome only to find that there were no homes or jobs waiting for them. Emperors were forced to spend insane amounts of money to support panemetcircensem(“bread and circuses” – the gladiatorial games),just to prevent riots and uprisings by the hungry lower classes.
This new influx of people to Rome also brought with it disease. Toward its end, the Roman Empire suffered devastating outbreaks of plague, (a highly contagious, verydeadly disease), the most severe of which was the plague of 166-180 CE. There were also devastating outbreaks of malaria, (a disease transmitted by mosquito bites), and lead poisoning as Romans began using lead pipes to bring in the extra drinking water needed for the growing cities. (Fun fact: fear of lead poisoning is the same reason we can’t drink out the water fountains here!)
Political Causes
Political problems greatly contributed to Rome’s decline. First, as the government became more oppressive and authoritarian, it lost the support of the people. Growing numbers of corrupt officials made it difficult for people to trust the government. There were frequent civil wars in Rome over succession to the imperial throne. Again and again, rival armies battled to have their commanders chosen as emperor.
Perhaps the most important political cause of the fall of the Roman Empire was the division of the Roman Empire into an Eastern empire and a Western empire. In 284 CE, Emperor Diocletian decided to divide the empire into two, in order to make it easier to govern the vast empire. The eastern empire became richer, and did not come to the aid of the western empire as it began to fall apart.
Economic Causes
In order to keep money coming in to pay for food and entertainment for the jobless and hungry masses in Rome, a giant bureaucracy, (administrative system),had to be installed to collect taxes from all citizens throughout the empire. These taxes were crushingly expensive, which made more people homeless, hungry, and demanding the Ancient-style welfare of “bread and circuses”. With so much money being spent to prevent uprisings among Rome’s poorer classes, there was little gold in the treasury for anything else.
In addition, as Rome’s enemies drew closer around it, trade became increasingly difficult. With little trade coming in, merchants and businesspeople were making less money. When people began making less money, they began to hoard (save) more. As people saved more and spent less, the Roman economy began to collapse because no one was buying anything! As the economy worsened, the government decided upon a solution: raising taxes. (See the paragraph above this onefor why this might not have been the best idea!)
Military Causes
The Roman legions of the late army lacked the discipline and training of past Roman armies. In the latter years of the empire, frustrated Romans lost their desire to defend the empire. To meet its need for soldiers, Rome hired mercenaries, or foreign soldiers serving for pay, to defend its borders. Such an army was not reliable, and very expensive. Many were warriors, who, according to some historians, felt little loyalty to Rome. Read the following excerpt that blames the fall of Rome on problems with the military:
“Rome, like all great empires, was not overthrown by external enemies but undermined by internal decay...The military crisis was the result of...proud old aristocracy’s...shortage of children. (Consequently), foreigners poured into this...void (lack of soldiers). The Roman army was composed entirely of Germans.”- IndroMontanelli
Foreign Invasion
As Rome weakened from within, its enemies began to edge closer and closer to the heart of the empire. One Roman emperor, Valens, tried to eliminate the threat of invasion by allowing enemies of Rome to settle within the borders of the empire. However, these settlers were mistreated by Roman administrators and rebelled in 376 CE. The fighting was so fierce that Emperor Valens himself was killed and the Romans ultimately suffered a humiliating defeat in 382 CE.
After the success of this first uprising, Rome was forced to parry off near constant attacks from barbarian hordes. In December of 406 CE, a mixed band of tribes crossed the frozen Rhine river, which runs through the center of Europe, and steadily began taking away lands from the Roman Empire. The barbarian forces moved steadily closer to the capital and twice manage to surround and overrun the city. Finally in 480 CE, the Western Roman Empire collapsed entirely. The Eastern portion of the empire would stand strong for some time afterwards, but would soon face troubles of its own...