Download THE DECLINE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

THE DECLINE OF THE ROMAN
EMPIRE
CHAPTER 5 SECTION 5
THE DECLINE
• The Roman Empire suffered invasions by Persians and
Germanic people. Invasions, civil wars, and plague almost
caused the Roman economy to collapse in the 3rd century.
Trade and small industry declined, and there was a large
shortage due to plague. Farm production declined on fields
ravaged by invaders.
• Money was short, but Rome needed soldiers more than ever.
By the mid-third century, the state was depending on hired
Germanic soldiers. They had no loyalty to Rome, nor did they
understand Roman traditions.
THE DECLINE
• At the end of the third and the beginning of
the fourth centuries, the emperors Diocletian
and Constantine revived Rome, founding a
state the Late Roman Empire. It had a new
governmental structure, a rigid economic and
social system, and a new religion-Christianity.
• Diocletian ruled from 284 to 305.
Diocletian
• Diocletian believed his empire was too large
to have only one ruler, he divided the empire
into four sections, each with its own ruler,
including himself. His military power, however,
made him the ultimate authority. Constantine,
who ruled from 306 to 337, extended many of
Diocletian’s policies.
Diocletian
• Both expanded the bureaucracy and enlarged the army to five
hundred thousand troops. Expanding the civil service and the
military drained the treasury. To fight inflation, Diocletain
issued strict wage and price controls for the entire empire.
They did not work. Both emperors issued edicts forcing
people to stay in their jobs, which made basic jobs like being a
baker hereditary. Small, free farmers increasingly were in debt
to large landowners.
Diocletian
• In 324 Constantine became the sole ruler of Rome. His biggest
project was constructing a new capital city in the east on the
site of Constantinople (present day Instanbul). Calling it his
“New Rome,” Constantine filled the city with a forum,
palaces, an amphitheater, and other signs of Roman and civic
glory. It became a center of the Eastern Roman Empire and
one of the world’s greatest cities.
• The policies of Diocletian and Constantine were based on
coercion and control. In the long run, therefore, they stifled the
vitality Rome needed to revive.
The Fall
• The empire restored by Diocletian and
Constantinople continued for another
hundred-plus years. It had two capitols, Rome
in the west and Constantinople in the east.
The Fall
• Many theories have been proposed to explain the
fall of the Roman Empire: Christianity weakened
Rome’s military virtues; Roman values declined as
non-Italians gained prominent positions; lead
poisoning from water pipes and vessels caused a
mental decline; slavery held Rome back from
advancing technologicaly; Rome’s political system
proved unworkable. Probably there is some truth
in all or most of these explanations.
Review
• Who invaded Rome in the 3rd century?
• List me 3 issues that caused a decline in the
roman economy?
• How many ways was Rome split up?
• Did Christianity weaken or strengthen Rome’s
military? Explain why.