Download What factors led to the fall of the Roman Empire? Invasion by

What factors led to the fall of the Roman Empire?
1. Invasion by Barbarian tribes: Rome’s strong army started losing to outside forces. Tribes like
the “Goths” had been winning small victories over the years, pushing back some of the empire’s
borders. The Visigoth tribe had a great victory and sacked the city of Rome. Another tribe, the
Vandals, conquered more of Western Rome in later years. Finally, the Germanic tribe, led by
Odoacer, kicked out Emperor Romulus Augustulus. From then on, there were no more emperors
of Western Rome.
2. Economic trouble and depending too much on slave labor: As Rome was being attacked by
barbarians, they were also suffering from a severe financial crisis. Constant wars & over spending
had drained the imperial treasury. The wealthy ran away to avoid paying taxes. When the
empire stopped expanding, the work force and military started to dry up, as Rome had always
used the newly conquered people to work for them and participate in the military. Then when the
Vandals conquered North Africa, that part of the trade route was cut off from Rome. Rome’s
economy, trade, and agriculture began a steep decline, loosening Rome’s grip on Europe.
3. The rise of the Eastern Empire: Dividing the empire into western and eastern was the
beginning of the end. The two emperors failed to work together, and often argued over trade and
resources. As the arguing increased, the largely Greek speaking eastern Rome grew, and the
largely Latin speaking western empire declined. The strength of the eastern empire kept the
barbarians away and kept their focus on the western empire.
4. Over expansion and military spending: Rome expanded from the Atlantic Ocean to the
Euphrates River. This was too big for one Emperor to govern. Even with the great road system,
communication was slow and not effective to manage the large area. Rome struggled to keep
enough soldiers and resources available to defend the borders. King Hadrian built the famous
Hadrian ’s Wall around Britain to keep enemies away. As more money was moved into the
military, no funds were available for technological advancements and Rome’s systems started to
fail.
5. Government corruption and political instability: Rome’s leadership became ineffective and
inconsistent. During the 2nd & 3rd century, being Rome’s Emperor meant certain death at the
hands of other Romans. Civil war was a constant for many years. The Emperor’s body guards
assassinated him and put others into leadership, once even auctioning off the position to the
highest bidder. The Senate was corrupt as well, demanding more and more taxes from the
people to keep them wealthy. Many Romans lost their trust in the leadership.
6. The arrival of the Huns & the migration of the Barbarian tribes: The attacks from the Huns
mostly came from the mass migration of outsiders to Europe. The migrating people pushed the
Germanic tribe to the borders of Rome. . The Romans reluctantly allowed certain foreign tribes to
cross their borders, one being the Visigoths. Then this tribe actually conquered the Roman
emperor of the time! The Romans treated the foreign tribes horribly, at one time demanding the
starving tribes to trade their children for dog meat. This brutality created a great enemy of the
Gothic tribe against Rome. They rose up, revolted, and eventually beat the Romans. The
Romans created a peace treaty with the Goths, but it did not help. The Visigoth tribe came in a
pushed out the Emperor of the time.
7. Christianity & the loss of traditional values: The rise of the new faith contributed to the fall of
Rome. The legalizing of Christianity ended the persecution of Christians and also began to erode
Rome’s traditional values. Christianity began to push out the polytheistic belief of the Romans.
Popes and other church leaders began to take on political roles, complicating the government
more with the blend of politics and religion. This was a smaller factor to the fall of Rome, but
definitely played a role.
8. Weakening of the Roman legions: Rome’s army was divided into legions, which consisted of
5000-6000 soldiers. As the empire spred, they added to the army using the conquered men of the
areas. However, when the empire stopped expanding, the strong military started its decline. The
Romans paid outsiders to help defend their borders. These outsiders eventually turned against
Rome as they had no loyalty to the Roman Empire. Many of the barbarians who sacked western
Rome, had learned their military strategy as a Roman soldier!