Decline and Fall of

Rome
External and Internal
Causes
Was it Murder, Suicide or
Old Age?
Why do we care?

The Crime Scene

Historians

say the
Roman Empire fell
in 476 CEthus
beginning the
Dark Ages.
However,
problems began
after the rule of
Marcus Aurelius
180 CE!

The last western Emperor:

Romulus Augustus (a boy of
14). Surrendered his crown
to Odoacer.

Suicide?

Political Problems:
Poor leaders weakened the
government
Frequent fights for power
Between 235 and 284 Rome was led by
whoever had the army to seize it. There
were 22 emperors over these years
twenty died violently.

Many officials took bribes

Talented people chose not to serve
due to dangers of government life

Suicide?

Economic Problems:
Invasions and civil wars cause taxes to rise
and industry to decline.
Inflation due to the printing of coins with less
silver. People start bartering instead of using
money.
Famine and disease caused a reduction in
labor.
Farmers thrown off their land moved to the
cities.
Treasury is drained by feeding and
entertaining the jobless masses.
Reliance on slavery creates little innovation
no new technology
Trade deficit.

Suicide?

Military Problems
Military spending left
few resources for
other vital activities,
such as providing
public housing and
maintaining quality
roads and aqueducts.
The military started
losing(too civilized
to win?) bad publicity.
People no longer
wanted to serve.

The empire had to

begin hiring soldiers
recruited from the
unemployed city
mobs or worse from
foreign counties.
Such an army was
not only unreliable,
but very expensive.

 Social

Suicide?

Problems:

Decline in Morals and Values

Crimes of violence made the streets of
the larger cities unsafe.
Entertainment becomes more and more
bloody and Rich just want to party.
Children sold into slavery and
prostitution in order to pay taxes.
Children stop going to school.

Old Age?

Diocletian and Constantine try

reforms:
Both expand the bureaucracy and
enlarge the army
But. this drains the treasury

Diocletian tries to set price

controls for the entire empire
Doesnt work

Both emperors issue edicts

forcing people to be tied to the
jobs of their fathers and small
farmers to large landowners
trying to restore social order.
Now people have no hope for social
mobility

Both emperors created harsh laws

and punishments against crime.

Old Age
Public

Health problems:
Many of the wealthy had water brought
to their homes through lead pipes.
The continuous interaction of people at
the Coliseum, the blood and death
probably spread disease.
Many lived on the streets among
garbage and sewage.
Malaria and the Plague.
Alcohol use increased as well adding to
the decline of public health.

Old Age?
Rome continued to decline
Constantine moved the capital from
Rome to city of Byzantium
He changed the name to Constantinople
(today is Istanbul)

Murder?
Christianity

disrupts the empire.

Lack of Patriotism.
Confusion and fighting.
Popes want more power and tell the
Emperors what to do.
Money goes to the Church not the State.
Some feel that Rome deserved
destruction by God.

Murder?

The Huns, led by Attila the Hun, are

running amuckpressuring everyone.
The Romans pay off Attila and he
causes enough problems for the
Persians for them to ask for peace, but
the Germanic tribes are still invading
faster than they can be assimilated.

Murder?
The Barbarians!
Was

Rome simply destroyed by mass

migration?
In the third century the Roman soldiers
were pulled back from the frontier to
fight civil wars in Italy. This left the
Roman border open to attack.
Germanic tribes from the north began to
overtake Roman lands in Greece and
Gaul (later France).

Sacked and Plundered

Visigoths sac
Rome (with the
help of slaves
and poor) in 410
CE and Vandals
(Vandalism)
strip Rome of
treasures Prior
to fatal date of
476 CE

Germanic Tribes Invade all

Western Provinces