Download The Fall of Rome

Ancient Rome
The Fall of Rome
 SSWH3 The student will examine the political,
philosophical, and cultural interaction of Classical
Mediterranean societies from 700 BCE to 400 CE.
 e. Analyze the factors that led to the collapse of the
Western Roman Empire.
What was the Roman Empire?
 There were two periods of Roman government.
 Roman Republic 509 BCE-30 BCE
 Roman Empire 30 BCE-476 CE
What was the Roman Empire?
 Rome technically had an “empire” under the Roman
Republic.
 But the term “Roman Empire” refers to the time period,
beginning with Augustus, when Rome was ruled by
emperors.
Roman Republic
 Republic = citizens can
choose (vote for) their
leader.
 Established 509 b.c.e.
 Only men with money
and property could vote.
 Representative
Democracy: The wealthy
elected representatives
to make laws for
everyone.
Structure of the Republic
• Patricians=
landholding upper
class
• Plebeians=
farmers,
merchants,
artisans, traders
• Senate= governing
body
• Consuls= two
patricians
Patricians
Plebeians
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The Two Empires
 Western (Roman) Empire Ended officially in 476 CE
when the last emperor, Romulus Augustus, was
deposed by a barbarian, Odoacer
 Eastern (Byzantine) Empire Lasted until 1453 when the
empire was conquered by the Ottoman Turks
Administration of a Vast Empire
 Empire included over
100,000,000 people of
diverse backgrounds,
cultures, and places
 Rome learned to adapt
its policies on a local
level to fit the people of
a given area
 Citizenship gradually
extended to all free
men of the empire
Administration of a Vast Empire
 Solid, strong
bureaucracy that kept
things running
smoothly the majority
of the time
 Empire’s
administration run by
countless proconsuls,
procurators,
governors, and minor
officials
 Four prefectures,
further divided into
dioceses, then into
provinces
Administration of a Vast Empire
Tyre
 Strong
infrastructure
 Facilitated
movement by
officials,
soldiers,
traders,
travelers, etc.
The Fall of Rome
Economic Reasons
 Gap between rich and
poor
 Impoverished workers
became tied to the land
as coloni (sold as the
land was sold)
 Fewer members of the
lower classes could
afford to buy goods (no
purchasing power)
The Fall of Rome
Economic Reasons
 manufacturing and
trade declined
 Large estates
became selfsufficient, further
hurting
manufacturing and
trade
The Fall of Rome
Political Reasons
 Decline in patriotism
 Democracy did not exist
in reality
 Citizens lost their tie
(voting rights) to the
state
 Patriotism became based
on loyalty to an emperor,
not to Rome
 Most emperors did not
inspire respect or loyalty
Modern Mask-Rome: The HBO Series
The Fall of Rome
Political Reasons
 East/West split
 Two empires created
problems regarding
loyalty
 No orderly succession
 Murders, forced
suicides, and civil
wars frequently
accompanied the
transition from one
emperor to the next
Modern Mask-Rome: The HBO Series
The Fall of Rome
Social Reasons
 Population decline
 Hunger
 Plagues
 War
 Decline in intellectual
culture
 Lack of dedication to
public service and
intellectual pursuits
 leisure time watching
chariot races and
gladiatorial contests
Ancient roman society by Ray
The Fall of Rome
Social Reasons
 Religious divisions
 Eastern and Egyptian
cults took away the
popularity and status of
traditional Roman
religion
 New faiths
(i.e.Christianity) directly
questioned and
challenged concepts
such as imperial divinity
Ancient roman society by Ray
The Fall of Rome
Military Reasons
 Reliance on barbarian
troops
 Not ultimately loyal to
Rome
 Could not be counted on to
fight their fellow
barbarians
 Interested in obtaining
booty, not defending Rome
or furthering Rome’s
interests
The Fall of Rome
Military Reasons
 Roman Republic
 Armies were servants of Rome
 Roman Empire
 Armies made and unmade
emperors
 The sacking of Rome:
 The Visigoths (Germanic) 410- hired
by the Romans b/c of plague.
 The Vandals 455
 476, The Germainic head of the
Army overthrew Romulus
Augustulus
 Considered the date of the fall of
the W. Roman Empire
 SSWH3 The student will examine the political,
philosophical, and cultural interaction of Classical
Mediterranean societies from 700 BCE to 400 CE.
 e. Analyze the factors that led to the collapse of the
Western Roman Empire.
 List five facts which will help you remember this lesson:
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