ipl-logo

Why Did Rome Fall Essay

1135 Words5 Pages

Why did Rome Fall??? Rome once was an empire of many lands, but one simple problem caused the fall of the great empire, but, do we actually know the reason?? There are many theories on why Rome fell, but none of them have been proven. People have said that the fall of Rome might have happened because there was an invasion by Barbarian tribes, economic trouble, and even a decline in morals and values. Now we are left with a big question, why did Rome fall?? There are many theories on why Rome fell, but only political corruption, inflation, and a shift in religion ( a rise in Christianity ) can explain the fall. Bribery and corruption were rampant and led to the commoners distrusting the Senate. Government leaders learned to only care for …show more content…

The text states that “ Roman emperors often came to power through the power of their personal armies. Often the throne was sold to the highest bidder. Later Roman emperors were corrupt and poor leaders.” ( Ten Theories on the Fall of Rome). The text explains that there was a lot of fraud in the Ancient Roman government. Corruption and bribery increased in the government, and that caused the government leaders to grow poor. Since the leaders were poor, they could not provide for the Romans in need, which caused Rome to fall into an economic depression, which eventually led to the fall of Rome. The text states that “ In the daily morning ritual of the salutatio, humble Romans went to pay their respects in the houses of senators, who were obligated to protect them. These personal relationships lent stability to the social hierarchy. In the 2nd century, however, the disparity between rich and poor citizens grew. While this trend increased the personal power of individual senators, it weakened the social control of the elite as a whole; the poor had become too numerous to be controlled by the traditional bond of patron …show more content…

These conflicts led to the persecution of the Christians, killing a lot of people. The text states that “ Christians refused to fight for Rome during a time when soldiers were needed. Many qualified leaders of Rome turned to Christianity and refused to work for the roman government. Many Romans put their money toward church buildings rather than the empire” ( Ten Theories on the Fall of Rome ) The text is explaining that the Romans started caring more about their religion rather than the stability of the Roman government. More people started to practice the Christian religion and soon, so did the government leaders. When that happened, Christianity began its takeover on Rome. The text states that” But distrust was increased by Christian detachment and reluctance to serve in the imperial service and in the army. At any time in the 2nd or 3rd centuries, Christians could find themselves the object of unpleasant attention. Violence against them could be precipitated by a bad harvest, a barbarian attack, or a public festival of the emperor cult.” ( Britannica ) The evidence explains that Christians were being very violently attacked by the government who put their focus on minimizing the level of Christians instead of defending themselves from barbarian attacks. By approving Christianity, the Roman state directly undermined its religious

More about Why Did Rome Fall Essay

Open Document