Factors Leading To The Fall Of The Roman Empire

1124 Words5 Pages
Jennifer Kanu
October 24, 2014
Block G

Evaluate the factors that brought about the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Roman Empire was one of the largest and most powerful empires in all of history. They were so powerful that many aspects of Roman civilization influenced the cultures of people around the world and continued to do so even after its demise. The Ancient Romans were exceptional warriors and ruled over most of what is modern day Europe, Africa and Asia. Although it seemed that they could only profit from all the land they had amassed, it was quite the contrary and their gains marked the beginning of the end. The decline of the Roman Empire can be linked to host of reasons all of which are debated by historians. Of those reasons, the sheer size of the Roman Empire, the third century crisis and invasions in the hands of their enemies are at the forefront.
The total size of the Roman Empire contributed immensely to its collapse. The empire was too large to be protected by the Roman army, causing the army to become bigger and with it, military expenses. The Roman Empire also encompassed far too many different cultures to be united. The Roman Empire covered a total of over five million square kilometers.1 There were thirty legions stationed around the empire and each legion consisted of about 5,000 soldiers.2 This means that, on average, each soldier was in charge of over 7.08 square miles, a difficult task to undertake. In search of a solution, the Romans incorporated

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