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Reasons for the Fall of the Roman Empire
Reason #1 – Barbarian Invasions
The Romans referred to the strange tribes from lands in northern Europe as “barbarians.” For many
years, these tribes “annoyed” the Romans by attacking
cities on the outskirts of the Roman Empire. These
attacks were not a big deal at all when the Roman Empire
was strong, but by the year 400, the empire was not as
strong as it used to be.
One of the strongest
tribes were the Visigoths,
from modern-day
Germany (viz-ih-goths). In
410, the Visigoth king
Alaric (al-uh-rik) and his
army attacked the city of
Rome. They got through
InvasionofRomein410
the walls and into the city,
destroying buildings, looting treasures, and killing hundreds
of Roman citizens.
TribesattackedtheWesternpartoftheRoman
Empire—wherethecapitalcitywasRome.The
Easternpartoftheempire,whosecapitalwas
Constantinoplestayedsafe.
In 476, the last Roman emperor was overthrown. Roads and bridges were left broken; crop fields
were destroyed. Thieves and thieves made it unsafe to travel. Cities in the empire grew very weak,
and culture, trade, and business soon disappeared.
Reason #2 – Too Much Government Spending
The Roman Empire stretched over more than
2,000 miles. Keeping up an army to defend
the borders of such a large
empire was where more than
70% of the government’s
money went. Very little money
was left over for other
necessary things—such as
providing public housing and
maintaining the quality of roads and buildings.
Taxes had to be increased in order to keep up
the army. This left many Romans even poorer
than they were before.
Eventually, even Roman soldiers became frustrated and lost
their desire to defend their own empire. They weren’t being
paid for their service in the army, so they stopped
volunteering to serve in the army.
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Reasons for the Fall of the Roman Empire
Reason #3 – A FEW Very Rich People…and LOTS of Very Poor People
There was a big gap between the rich patricians and the poor plebeians—meaning there were a few
very rich people, and lots of very poor people. In fact, by the time Emperor Constantine took power in
312 A.D., patricians were five times richer than they had been when Augustus was the first emperor
back in 31 B.C.
There were few jobs available, which made it very difficult for poor Romans to improve their future. At
one point, there were more than 100,000 people without jobs just in the city of Rome alone! Most
Roman men used to go into the army because they were promised money, land, and a higher social
position. But the army was no longer conquering new territory and couldn’t even afford to protect the
land it had, so Roman men stopped volunteering
for the military.
Poor Romans stopped using money to purchase
things because they didn’t have any! Instead,
they went back to a “barter system” (trading
rather than using money to “buy” things). If
they managed to find work, they were paid in
food and clothing. Taxes from poor people were
collected in the form of extra fruits and
vegetables instead of money.
PoorRomanslivedincrowdedapartmentsthatoftencollapsed
orcaughtonfire.
Meanwhile, life was still great for rich patricians! They still had
money, and they continued to host parties and other celebrations.
RichRomansdineataparty.
Reason #4 – Bad Leadership
One of the biggest problems with leadership in the Roman Empire is that the Romans never figured
out a good system for choosing a new emperor. The choice of who would be the next emperor was
decided by the current emperor, his advisors, and high-ranking military generals. All of these people
had their own ideas about who should take over next, so they rarely agreed with each other.
A leader is corrupt when he makes bad decisions that are not in the best interest of the people
he is leading. After the year 250 A.D., many of the Roman emperors and
military generals were corrupt. They made decisions that didn’t make sense, or
just made their lives easier…while making life harder for the Roman people.
Some emperors were good and wise, but others were totally unfit for their job.
For example, the emperor Nero was probably insane. After killing his own wife
and mother, and ordering his Senators to kill themselves, Nero killed himself.
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Reasons for the Fall of the Roman Empire
Other emperors poisoned their enemies, drank heavily, and just generally
“ignored” their real responsibilities—which were to keep the empire and its
people safe.
In 90 years, there were 80 different emperors. This averaged to about
1 – 2 emperors per year. The reason that so many of these emperors did
not last is because many were either murdered, or they killed themselves.
At least 25 of them were murdered by their advisors or by people who
wanted to take over the empire for themselves.
Reason #5 – Health & Safety Problems
One of the reasons why the Roman Empire fell apart was due to health and safety problems. It is
believed that the Romans consumed very dangerous amounts of lead, which was found in the pipes
that brought water into the public bathhouses. Lead poisoning can lead to serious health issues,
such as memory loss, numbness in arms and legs, and
even vision and hearing loss.
Most Romans were poor. They lived in crowded apartment
buildings that were built with cheap, wooden materials that
broke easily or caught on fire.
The first-floor apartments were generally occupied by
wealthier Romans; these apartments were rented out for
about $400 per year.
AncientRomanleadpipesondisplayatamuseum.
Rent prices got cheaper as you went higher up. The
highest apartments that were rented by the poor
Romans cost about $40 per year. They were hot,
dirty, crowded, and dangerous. Anyone who could
not afford to pay the rent was forced to move out and
live on the streets, which were often dirty and unsafe.
Violent crimes like mugging, kidnapping, and
stabbing happened on the streets.
Romanapartmentbuilding.
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