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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. 1 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. 2 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. 3