There is no shortage of explanations for the fall of the Roman Empire: Christianity and the loss of traditional values, the rise of the Eastern Empire, government corruption and political instability as well as overexpansion and military overspending have been identified as the chief cause of Rome’s destruction. The Roman military was the glue which held the empire together. The Romans could never have created their vast empire without a strong army. From the middle of the third century and onward this essential component to the success and stability of the empire slowly withered away. The declining quality of the military paired with the poor imperial strategy left the empire vulnerable to increasing barbarian attacks. However, the crumbling economic structure which was in financial peril was the chief factor in the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Furthermore, the exact date the Empire’s fall cannot be identified since Rome …show more content…
During the Pax Romana, society was vulnerable as they turned a blind eye to the perils plaguing them. The ruling class of Rome was sleepwalking into a catastrophe as the oppressed lower class did not fear the Barbarians, but instead looked to them for aid. A priest noted, “in the districts taken over by the barbarians, there is one desire among all the Romans, that they should never again find it necessary to pass under Roman jurisdiction .” The fact that so many people were willing to rebel against their empire speaks to the declining quality of the empire. The invasions were not so much a cause of Rome’s decline as a result of its significant economic and political weakness. St. Jerome stated, “[I]t is the end of the world…Words fail me. My sobs break in…The city which took captive the whole world has been captured