At the end of the fifth century, the Western Roman Empire disappeared after almost 500 years of being the greatest superpower in the world. Historians blame the collapse on multiple factors that range from crippling taxation, military failures, and even natural disasters (Andrews). Some scientists believe that the Roman Empire did not fall in 476 A.D. because its eastern part called the Byzantine Empire continued to exist for thousand years after that. Though the reasons for falling of the Empire is the subject of a debate, there are several most popular explanations for Western Rome’s disintegration and decline.
1. Overspending on the military needs and overexpansion.
At the time of the Roman Empire’s golden age, the country stretched from the Euphrates River to the Atlantic Ocean. Such a huge size signified about its strength and the leading position in the world, but at the same time, its grandeur could have been the reason for a downfall. It was impossible to govern such a huge territory, so the empire faced logistical and administrative troubles. Even taking into consideration that the Romans had an excellent road system, it was not possible for them to communicate quickly enough to manage the land. Rome had to spend much money on troops in order to defend its frontiers from outside attacks and local rebellions (Andrews). More and more resources were funneled in the military spending. This affected the technological advancement and civil infrastructure negatively.
2. Political instability and corruption.
The Roman Empire’s vast territory made it hard to be governed, but the ineffective leadership magnified this problem. The civil war plunged the country into chaos. More than 20 people took the throne during 75 years, in most cases after the murder of the predecessor. The Roman Senate was incompetent and corrupted (Andrews). The number of people serving in administration was quickly increasing (at the beginning of the third century A.D. nearly 300 individuals worked in administration full-time while by 300 A.D. their number grew up to 35,000 people) (Tremblay). The government became bureaucratic that they needed to introduce new taxes in order to sustain themselves.
3. Barbarian tribes.
Rome was fighting with the Germanic tribes for centuries. The Empire was under the constant threat long before the Vandals raided Rome in 455. In 476 Odoacer, the Germanic leader, organized a revolt and overthrew the Roman Emperor Romulus Augustulus. Since that time, Roman emperor did not rule in Italy, that makes many historians believe that 476 was the year when the Western Empire experienced its deathblow (Andrews).
4. Economic crisis.
Rome suffered not only from the attacks from outside forces, it also suffered from a severe financial crisis. Overspendings and constant wars needed heavy expenses. Additionally to that, the empire faced the labor deficit. The economy of Rome required slaves for doing all hard work. But in the 2nd century, when the expansion came to an end, the supply of war treasures, including slaves, began to dry up (Andrews). Due to faltering economy and decline in agricultural production, the Roman Empire started to lose its influence on Europe.
5. Weakening of the military forces.
At the time of decline, Rome was not able to recruit enough Roman citizens, and the emperors started hiring foreign soldiers to prop up their armies. So, the legions were filled with barbarians. But these soldiers had no loyalty to the empire and finally their officers turned against the Romans (Andrews). Actually, many barbarians who captured Rome and brought down the Empire served in the Roman legions.
These are the most significant reasons for the decline of the Roman Empire, though this list can be prolonged further and include such important issues as the breakdown of morality, family and religion.
Works cited
Andrews, E. “8 Reasons Why Rome Fell”. history.com. 2014. Web. Accessed 04 March 2016 at http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-reasons-why-rome-fell
Tremblay, J. “Five reasons why the Roman Empire fell”. catholicnewsagency.com. 2011. Web. Accessed 04 March 2016 at http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/column/five-reasons-why-the-roman-empire-fell-1907/
