Kou

Period : Core
October 4, 2017

What Were the Primary Reasons for the Fall of Rome?

The Roman Empire was an empire that flourished with success and power but

unfortunately fell due to horrible problems and reasons. Around 750 BCE, Rome started off as a

small unsteady settlement, but around 200 BCE, the strongest of the Mediterranean, the Greeks,

were weakening while Rome was inevitably getting more and more successful. Eventually,

Rome became a powerhouse. After many years the small settlement had turned into a successful,

flourishing empire. Unfortunately, the empire came to an end due to many problems and reasons.

There were three significant reasons for the fall of Rome : Economic corruption,disaster and

disease, and most importantly, barbarian invasions. The empire was overthrown from many

problems, but here are the three major and primary reasons of why the Roman Empire fell.

One of the important reasons of why the Roman empire fell was because of economic

corruption within the empire. In Document E, Priscus, a Roman ambassador to the Huns, states

the words of a Roman citizen who was conquered by the Huns saying {He] considered his

new life better than his old life among the Romans . This proves that many Roman

citizens were better off conquered by the barbarians rather than being a citizen of the Roman

Empire. Priscus also shares that the climax of misery was to pay for your own justice (Document

E). This was legal injustice and many Roman leaders were also contributing to the injustice. This

caused the people of the Roman Empire to live unfortunate lives.

Another important reason why the empire fell was because of disaster and disease in the

Roman Empire. According to Edward Gibbon, the author of The History of the Decline and Fall
of the Roman Empire, in Document F, the Roman world was acquainted with a violent and

destructive earthquake which also caused a terrifying flood. The earthquake left the shores of the

Mediterranean dry, but soon the flood had taken over the coasts. These natural disasters killed

50,000 people alone in Alexandria. Soon the disease, plague approached the Roman Empire.

Many people had caught the disease and unfortunately there was no cure for it. The plague killed

an astonishing 75% of the population in Rome alone. These disasters and diseases led many

people to see a declining empire.

While the first two reasons are important, the primary reason why the Roman Empire fell

was because of barbarian invasions. Barbarian invasions were very vicious and had a huge effect

on the Roman Empire. According to the map in Document C, the barbarians were attacking and

conquering the Roman Empire from all sides. Barbarian groups started off as groups of

migrating people, but eventually started raiding and attacking the Roman Empire, hungry for

power. The Roman government couldnt handle all of the barbarian invasions all at once, and

they were also weakening as an empire. And so, the barbarians continued raiding and conquering

Roman lands. There were also wars that stirred up between the Romans and the barbarians. The

invasions took lives, land, and eventually overthrew the Roman Empire, because the Roman

government couldnt handle the barbarian invasions.

It is true that there are other reasons that explain the Roman Empires decline. These

include the roman army, the roman emperors, and the Huns. However, the three reasons

presented above, economic corruption, disaster and disease, and barbarian invasions - provide

the best explanation why the Roman Empire finally crumbled in the 5th century CE .