The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was strong. The Roman Empire was established based on the conquest and strength of its military. The Roman Empire strategic geographic location, strong moral values, and, wise leadership enabled it to become the most powerful empire of its time. The Roman Empire flourished because of its social, economic, political, military and religious strengths. Strong principles and wise guidance. It declined due to corruption, public health, military spending.

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The Roman Empire truly was one of the greatest Empires established in the world. For many years the Romans led and ruled the regions around the Mediterranean, and majority of what is presently Europe and Asia. The Roman Empire possessed the wealthiest and most extravagant culture in the world at that time. Rome for a while also had a great central government, and a strong military. Rome did not fall because of a single event; it was caused by a plethora of issues internal and external which precipitated its slow demise. The Roman Empire consisted of a vast amount of landmass, which had stretched from the British Isles to Egypt and Iraq.

This vast geographic area, which made up the empire caused it to become unmanageable, thus leading to its slow demise because of decay, that occurred throughout hundreds of years until the Roman Empire became unrecognizable.

Due to the lengthy process that facilitated the demise of the Roman Empire, different historians have placed the end date of the empire at many different points on a continuum or what they believe were major events that led to its demise. The Fall of Rome is explained as a syndrome of various events that altered a large amount of human habitation over many hundreds of years. The biggest question debated about the fall of the Roman Empire is, why did it occur? 

The Roman Empire, which lasted over a thousand years, was a very sophisticated and adaptive civilization. In the ongoing debate over the fall of the Roman Empire, some historians argue that the split into an eastern and western empire governed by separate emperors was the reason the Roman Empire Fell. However, others argue that the entire Roman Empire did not fall, only the Western Empire did the Eastern Empire remained robust and powerful as the western decayed.

Historians from the classicist’s school believe that there was no single factor that caused the demise of the Roman Empire. “They believe that a combination of factors including Christianity, decadence, and the metal lead in the water supply, monetary trouble, and military problems was the major cause of the precipitous fall of the Roman Empire.” While other historians believe that Imperial incompetence and chance could be added to the list of things that caused the demise. However, other historians question the assumption behind the question what caused the Roman Empire to fall and maintain that the Roman Empire didn’t fall but failed because its leaders did not adapt to changing circumstances.

The fall of the Roman Republic and possible the fall of the Western Roman Realm were both critical occasions in our reality’s history. There were a wide range of occasions and issues that added to the fall of Rome. Financial despondency, high duties, and savage control are for the most part conceivable reasons for the fall of the realm. These issues, alongside common wars, gradually devastated the Roman Domain.

Wars

From 264 B.C. to 146 B.C. there were wars among Rome and Carthage known as the Punic Wars. Three distinctive Punic Wars were battled amid this time, which caused huge issues for Rome. Farmland was pulverized, and agriculturists had to move to the urban communities to look for some kind of employment. The primary Punic War was for control of Sicily. It kept going from 264 B.C. to 241 B.C. Rome was successful in this war. Hannibal, a Carthaginian general who needed to retaliate for Carthage’s past misfortune, actuated the second Punic War in 218 B.C. Scipio, a Roman general, concocted an arrangement to crush Hannibal. Scipio assaulted Carthage, Hannibal’s local home. Hannibal was attracted into the last clash of this war.

Hannibal was crushed in 202 B.C. at a town called Zuma. Winning this war was a triumph for Rome’s armed force, however an annihilation for little agriculturists (Roman). This was the most damaging war of the three Punic Wars. This was the war in which the most farmland was crushed. The third Punic War kept going from 149 B.C. to 146 B.C. There was no real battling amid this war. Rather, Rome looked for requital for the harm Carthage had already caused to Rome. In 146 B.C., Rome consumed Carthage and sold its subjects into servitude. Rome gained many new lands that it did not have before. It was not easy to govern these new areas, with war being the main focus.

Government Abandoned Democracy

For most of its history, the governing body of Rome was a republic where important decisions were dominated by the wealthy. There was always a struggle between the wealthy and the citizens from lesser classes of people or Plebeians, who were attempting to gain political equality and power. The culture eroded, and the leaders became corrupt and power hungry. As the Empire expanded, it became richer, and the rich became richer, while farmers and workers became poor. A larger class of plebeians became prevalent and demanded equal treatment, and they were killed. This led to disturbances and civil wars for a very long time until Julius Caesar reformed and changed the governing system. The method of government enacted by Julius Caesar fell apart after his murder, and the Empire became embroiled in civil wars, which also facilitated the inevitable fall of the empire.

Political Corruption

Political Corruption was a persistent power that added to the destruction of the compelling Roman Empire. While it was not the fundamental explanation behind the defeat of Rome, it was surely a noteworthy contributing component. Rome’s arrangement of picking new rulers wasn’t really the best. The Praetorian Guard gradually picked up regard through time. With its recently discovered specialist, the Praetorian Guard was the main gathering permitted to choose who should govern straightaway. This likewise implied they chose who required a bit “rest.” With numerous rulers biting the dust at the sharp edge of the Praetorian Guard, it was hard to keep up a sovereign without dread of them being executed. Defilement was wild all through Western Rome. The frequent changes in government were one of many factors that led to Rome’s downfall. When the Roman Empire couldn’t maintain proper government, it became vulnerable and weak.

Succession: There was no definitive line of succession on who would become the leader of the Roman Empire if its leaders died or stepped down. This likewise added to the fall of Rome. Not having an arrangement of progression set up after the passing of a ruler made the commanders contend with one another for power. When somebody picked up power he or she didn’t administer for long; somebody frequently killed them. This debilitated the power of Rome; corruption was normal, and the standard of law was nearly non-existent. Diocletian endeavored to initiate changes to make the Empire as solid as it was previously. He understood that the realm was too substantial for one individual to administer; he split the domain down the middle and took control of the eastern part. He at that point delegated a co-sovereign to govern in the west. He additionally redesigned the administration laborers into civil service duties, and made them responsible to the ruler. He expanded the extent of the armed force and prepared them better.

Economic Factors

Economic factors are often referred to as the main cause of Rome’s fall. Inflation, over taxation and feudalism were some of the main factors. Other minor economic problems included the wholesale pillage of bullion by Roman citizens, the widespread pillage of the Roman treasury by barbarians and a massive trade deficit with the Eastern Region.

Rome was still not sending out goods from its colonies. This made an exchange disparity. The colonies produced their completed goods and depended no longer on Rome for them. New coins were then made from lead and gold in order to reduce the currency. Dealers charged more money because these new coins weren’t worthwhile.  As a result, inflation became an important problem; it led to the fall of the Roman Empire. Rome’s rulers had very costly lifestyles and were very proud. They needed money to keep their image. The way their money was gained was by taxing the poor. In response to this act, the poor fled to other barbaric lands. Since the poor make up the majority of the Roman population, this became a serious problem because nobody was able to work.

The Barbarians were obstructing exchange on the Mediterranean Sea. Rome’s gold and silver was drained, on the grounds that they were being utilized to buy superfluous extravagances that were foreign from China, India, and Arabia. As the legislature diminished the silver substance in cash, the estimation of the cash likewise diminished. Diocletian endeavored to control the expansion. He issued an order that settled most extreme costs and wages all through the Empire. His thought failed of the fact that it was doubtful and unenforceable. The sovereigns still felt the expense issue should have been tended to, so they chose to make the hereditary class pay for the difference. As it were, if a destitute individual couldn’t pay their full offer, the collector paid the rest.

Military spending assumed a noteworthy job in the fall of the Roman Empire. The Roman government was spending more cash on the armed force than required. Military spending left couple of assets for other fundamental exercises, for example, giving lodging and keeping up open streets. The military needed to impart assets to Rome’s different needs including streets. This implied there was insufficient cash to go around. The administration thought that it was important to depend on employed fighters. These new recruits were not also prepared as the Roman Legion. In the end, these hired fighter compose officers deserted their devotion to the Roman Empire and Rome. Heads were then compelled to raise charges regularly. Ranches and businesspeople generally covered for these regulatory expenses, which incredibly hurt the economy. Nationals rapidly lost their pride and never again got things done for the benefit of Rome.

Unemployment played a major role in the decline of the Roman Empire. Farmers needed to pay men to help with products and homestead work and couldn’t rival the individuals who possessed slaves. Since the agriculturists needed to pay his men, he would need to raise costs on the yields and nourishment he sold. However, the individuals who possessed slaves did not need to pay the slaves and could have low costs on their products to offer. So, a many people and subjects purchased the slave proprietor merchandise since they were less expensive and all around evaluated. Agriculturists couldn’t contend with this and needed to either offer or inside and out lose their homestead. These ranchers went to the city searching for employments, however there were no openings and all activity spaces were filled. These agriculturists had no real option except to live in the city and fight for themselves.

Public health 

Some historians have suggested that the Romans suffered from lead poisoning. “The presence of lead in the drinking water leached in from water pipes used in the vast Roman water control system, lead glazes on containers that came in contact with food and beverages, and food preparation techniques that could have contributed to heavy metal poisoning. The lead was also used in cosmetics, even though it was also known in Roman times as a deadly and substance used in contraception.” (Public Health) Environmental and public health issues were contributing factors in the decline of the Roman Empire Roman Empire. It caused problems in the empire because rich citizens in the empire used lead for everything. The empire also suffered through periods where the spread of a variety of different diseases, such as malaria (Plasmodium Falciparum, the most dangerous form), tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and certain digestive ailments like gastroenteritis” were prevalent. These diseases caused the death rate to rapidly increase throughout the Roman Empire.

Long Borders

Another factor that added to why the Western Roman Empire fell was its geography. Western Rome needed to safeguard a huge, long fringe along the Rhine and Danube waterways. Since it could safeguard itself so little Gaul, Spain, and other Germanic clans like the Huns, Franks, Burgundians, and Vandals were continually attacking spots. These attacks prompted starvation and theft in Western Rome. The residents of Western Rome relied upon the solid proprietors that controlled their estates for assurance. The rot of the armed force originated from inside the armed force itself. The armed force became powerless from the absence of wars and quit wearing their defensive protective layer. This made them helpless against adversary weapons and gave a compulsion to escape from fight. Security may have prompted the suspension of the thorough drills. Christianity

Christianity Spread throughout the Roman Empire and its ideas challenged the Roman Empire rule of law, and the active virtues of society were discouraged. A very substantial part of public and private wealth was given to charity and devotion. The church and the state were distracted by religious groups, which sometimes ended in bloodshed. Religious assemblies distracted the emperors. The Christian religion, which was monotheistic, ran counter to the conventional Roman religion, which was polytheistic (numerous divine beings). At various occasions, the Romans oppressed the Christians on account of their convictions, which were prevalent among poor people. In 313 C.E., Roman head Constantine the Incomparable finished all oppression and pronounced toleration for Christianity. Soon thereafter, Christianity turned into the official state religion of the Realm. This uncommon change in arrangement spread this moderately new religion to each edge of the Domain. By affirming Christianity, the Roman state specifically undermined its religious conventions. At long last, amid this period, Romans considered their ruler a divine being. Be that as it may, the Christian faith in one God who was not the head debilitated the specialist and validity of the ruler. The collapse of the Roman Empire–Military Aspects Incapable and Unprofessional

Decadence and Decay of Rome’s Control

There is presumably that Decay and the loss of Roman power over the military and people influenced the capacity of the Roman Empire to keep its fringes unblemished. Early issues incorporated the emergencies of the Republic in the main century B.C.E. under the heads Sulla and Marius and also that of the Gracchi siblings in the second century C.E. Be that as it may, by the fourth century, the Roman Empire had essentially turned out to be too expansive to control effectively. There was political and military challenges, too. It didn’t improve the situation that political learners were responsible for Rome in the years paving the way to its fall. Armed force officers ruled the emperorship, and defilement was wild. As cash became tight, the administration contracted the less expensive and less dependable Germanic warriors to battle in Roman armed forces. Before the end, these armed forces were safeguarding Rome against their kindred Germanic tribesmen.

Overexpansion and military overspending

At its apex, the Roman Domain extended from the Atlantic Sea the distance to the Euphrates Waterway in the Center East, however its magnificence may have likewise been its destruction. With such a tremendous region to oversee, the realm confronted a managerial and calculated bad dream. Indeed, even with their magnificent street frameworks, the Romans were not able convey rapidly or adequately enough to deal with their property. Rome attempted to marshal enough troops and assets to protect its boondocks from nearby uprisings and outside assaults, and continuously century, Head Hadrian was compelled to assemble his popular divider in England just to keep the adversary under control. As an ever-increasing number of assets were channeled into the military upkeep of the domain, innovative headway moderated, and Rome’s respectful framework fell into decay.

Brutes and Vandals

The crumple of Western Rome’s was likewise caused by a string of military misfortunes supported against outside powers. Rome had battled with Germanic clans for quite a long time, however by the 300s “savage” bunches like the Goths had infringed past the Realm’s outskirts. The Romans weathered a Germanic uprising in the late fourth century, yet in 410 the Visigoth Ruler Alaric effectively sacked the city of Rome. The Domain spent the following quite a few years under steady danger before “the Interminable City” was assaulted again in 455, this time by the Vandals. At long last, in 476, the Germanic pioneer Odoacer organized a revolt and removed the Head Romulus Augustus’s. From that point on, no Roman sovereign could until the end of time rule from a post in Italy, driving numerous to refer to 476 as the year the Western Realm endured its final knockout.

The Savage assaults on Rome mostly originated from a mass relocation caused by the Huns’ intrusion of Europe in the late fourth century. At the point when these Eurasian warriors rampaged through northern Europe, they drove numerous Germanic clans to the outskirts of the Roman Domain. The Romans hesitantly enabled individuals from the Visigoth clan to cross south of the Danube and into the wellbeing of Roman region, yet they treated them with extraordinary cold-bloodedness. As indicated by the history specialist Ammianus Marcellinus, Roman authorities even constrained the destitute Goths to exchange their youngsters into subjection in return for puppy meat. In brutalizing the Goths, the Romans made a risky foe inside their outskirts. At the point when the persecution turned out to be excessively to tolerate, the Goths ascended in rebellion and in the end directed a Roman armed force and executed the Eastern Ruler Valens amid the Skirmish of Adrianople in A.D. 378. The stunned Romans arranged a feeble peace with the savages, yet the détente unwound in 410 when the Goth Lord Alaric moved west and sacked Rome. With the Western Realm debilitated, Germanic clans like the Vandals and the Saxons could flood over its fringes and involve England, Spain and North Africa.

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