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Western Roman Empire Essay

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The Western Roman Empire collapsed because of a multitude of different factors ranging from a declining population to a change in the belief system. The decline of the Western Roman Empire began in 180 CE, after the death of Marcus Aurelius, the last good emperor, and the reign of Commodus. During the third century, the “population declined drastically, possible by as much as one-third” (Spilevogel 170). If the population of the empire declines, then their entire economy collapses. Rome’s main source of economy was expansion, as Rome would acquire new lands, treasures and slaves who worked on farms back in the Empire. Once there was no more place to expand to, and the decline of people, food, and soldiers lead to a disaster. This made Rome …show more content…

The best emperors during the Roman Empire were the Five Good Emperors who “treated the ruling classes with respect, cooperated with the senate, ended arbitrary executions, maintained peace in the empire, and supported domestic policies generally beneficial to the empire” (Spilevogel 155). An effective ruler, as Hadrian must have a good foreign policy, and who tries corrupt officials. Other attributes that aided Hadrian were that he constructed public works as the other “Five Good Emperors” (Spilevogel 155). Also, as Trajan, an effective emperor must value the advice of their subordinates, and a leader must employ mercy. However, the most important attributes are to be an engaged emperor, to remember veterans and the army, and to treat the Senate with respect. These attributes are important because, an emperor must do his job as emperor. There have been to many emperors during the Empire, who have been only concerned with their gains, as Caligula, and Tiberius. However, the most important characteristic for an emperor is for them not to be controlled by the army, the commander of the Praetorian guard, a politician, their mother, or any other external influence. If an emperor was to be controlled by an external influence, then the emperor with the most money could win over the army and the position of

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