The Fall of the Roman Empire (in under 1500 words)

Numerous historians down through the centuries have spilled the blood of countless pens attempting to analyze the reasons for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. It is an intriguing question that most all civilizations of any import have sought to analyze since Rome’s demise – if for no other reason than to keep their own civilization from making the same mistakes. To discuss in depth the fall of the Roman Empire in an article of this length is virtually impossible. Therefore, what will be discussed here will only be the highlights of the events and circumstances that most historians agree contributed to the Empire’s demise.

It is important to realize that no one explanation is sufficient to account for the fall of the Rome. It was a process that lasted hundreds of years and involved multiple reasons and events that brought about the demise of this once great empire. In other words, it was not a single event that occurred in 476 A.D. but rather a series of issues that led to that final infamous date in which Roman Emperor Romulus was overthrown and a German placed in the seat of power. It is also important to note that only the western half of the Empire fell. The eastern half remained largely intact and survived as the Byzantine Empire until the middle of the fifteenth century. This was due mainly to the fact that the eastern half was not as exposed to barbarian attacks, was more populated, wealthier and did not have as many civil wars as did the western half.

The first contributing factor to the fall of Rome is obviously the role of the barbarian invaders. The barbarians attacked mainly the western part of the Empire. The western portion was less populated and poorer than the eastern region. Rome was already weakened due to its own size and the inability of the government to provide adequate military forces to cover the demands of such a large area. The barbarian attacks devastated the population and left the survivors impoverished. Furthermore, the onslaughts of the invaders in these areas helped to aggravate the internal problems Rome was already suffering at the time. To rectify this situation and fortify her defenses, Rome imposed higher taxes on citizens in order to strengthen the military. This caused an increased burden on the lower and middle classes, which, in turn, resulted in those classes despising the very government that sought to protect them.

The second contributing factor to the fall of Rome was the apathy of the populace. This once great culture, which exuded confidence in individual potential and the human intellect, lost its desire and no longer took an interest in public life. The aristocrats, who once proudly took the responsibility of preserving traditional Greco-Roman culture secluded themselves behind the walls of their estates and did not attempt to help the Empire. Even the common townspeople avoided public service and refused to offer an organized resistance in the face of the invaders. It appears that the large majority of Roman citizenry simply gave up, despite vastly outnumbering the invading hordes.

Thirdly, the Roman government’s own decisions and tendencies, both politically and militarily, which further increased public disloyalty contributed to her fall. Rome became increasingly autocratic especially under the rule of Emperors Diocletian (A.D. 285-305) and Constantine (A.D. 306-337). As stated above, the demands and legislative decisions of the government crushed the patriotic loyalty of its citizens and many considered the state to be the enemy, fearing it more than the barbarian invaders.

Militarily, the government’s autocratic methods had led to vastly inferior soldiers and to an unbridled desire for power among the leaders. The government was increasingly unable to control her ambitious military leaders who became more enamored with their personal dreams of seizing power rather than defending the borders of the Empire. This resulted in civil wars which further increased the financial burdens on the Empire, and in turn, weakened the border defenses even more. To add to this, the quality of Roman soldiers had deteriorated during the third century. During the third century, the army was made up mostly of peasants, who were often considered the dregs of society and had no loyalty to the vision of Greco-Roman civilization. Large numbers of barbarians had also been recruited to fill the ranks and they too, had little commitment to Greco-Roman civilization or the state. Many young citizens avoided military service altogether due to their lack of patriotism.

The fourth factor in the fall of Rome was the increased tax burden on the populace. With the barbarian hordes knocking at the door and oftentimes entering the house, Rome’s military expenditures continued to increase and often exceeded the available resources. Thus, taxes were increased while at the same time the government requisitioned necessities such as wood or grain, and forced its citizens to repair the infrastructure (roads and bridges) without any recompense from the government. When citizens refused to pay the taxes, the government often resorted to force to collect.

The fifth factor in the fall of Rome was the decline in population. It is estimated that the population of the Empire fell from 70 million during the Pax Romana to around 50 million during the Late Roman Empire. Various plagues or epidemics were responsible in large part for this decline. Also, many people became discouraged by the worsening economic conditions and chose not to increase the size of their families due to the little hope they saw for the future of Rome. This decline in population had three important effects on the Empire. (1) While the population was declining, the costs of running the Empire were increasing exponentially, placing an even heavier burden on the taxpayers. (2) Fewer agricultural workers were available, creating a shortage in food supply. (3) The decline led to fewer men to serve in the army which weakened defense capability.

Economic decentralization was the sixth factor in the fall of Rome. Separation of the Empire into east and west by Diocletian and Constantine had made the situation worse because emperors in the west could no longer count on economic aid from the wealthier east to finance their needs. Also, the Empire was dependent upon an empire wide trade that was greatly hindered by slow communications and the cost of transporting goods. International trade decreased as local trade grew and regions became more self-sufficient. Many large estates contributed further to this economic decentralization by producing exclusively for the local market. This resulted in decreased revenue in the urban areas due to reduced numbers of customers who bought goods made in the cities. Many urban craftsmen and small farmers increasingly sought to work for these large estates, causing the estates to grow in size and importance.

Lastly, the Empire failed to develop new technological advances. In other words, it failed to provide new and better ways of producing goods and agricultural products. Although Rome can be credited with a few new advances in technology, she basically rested on a slim economic and technological foundation. Combined with all her other problems, this foundation began to crack and give way under the weight of the whole structure. Rome relied heavily on slave labor and since slaves have little incentive to develop more efficient ways of production, they certainly didn’t put much thought into it. The upper classes didn’t put much thought into it either, since they considered manual labor beneath them and refused to consider any advances due to their desire to distance themselves from the menial work of slaves. This failure to improve technology further limited employment opportunities for the poorer classes.

As you can see, several factors contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. Historians continually debate as to which factors contributed the most and to what extent. In reading these factors, one realizes how much they each overlap and how each, in turn, fed off the other to produce even deeper problems. In my opinion, the Roman Empire became too vast and unwieldy for its limited economic foundation. Couple that weak economic foundation with various autocratic rulers who continually make decisions that overburden the populace, and you have a disaster in the making.

Although the year 476 A.D. may be the year that marks the fall of the Roman Empire due to the watershed event of Romulus being overthrown, it was not that single event that led to the demise of mighty Rome. The fall of Rome was years in the making, each circumstance and poor decision preparing the way for eventual destruction.