Decline Of The Roman Empire Essay

The Roman Empire was one of the largest and most powerful empires in the world. The nation was a colossus; at its height, the empire controlled most of Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor. However, the empire’s vast territory proved to be difficult to maintain; groups from all over the world began to move into the empire and invade the nation. More problems in addition to heightening conflicts began to proliferate as the empire crumbled. The deterioration and collapse of the Roman Empire was the result of the failure of its political system, depreciation of traditional Roman values, and growth of slavery as well as the advance of Christianity, destruction of the plague, and lead poisoning.
The spread of the Christian religion weakened the Roman Empire. The rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire began when Emperor Constantine approved toleration to this new belief, which eventually became the official state
The Roman Empire’s vast territory made the empire difficult to rule and maintain, which was exacerbated by the incompetence and inconsistency of the emperor’s authority. The Roman’s system of electing an emperor was never near effective; the decision was open to discussion between the senate, the old emperor, the Praetorian Guard, and the Roman Army. The power of selecting the emperor eventually fell to the Praetorian Guard (the emperor’s private squad), which would be given more authority by the emperor, maintaining an endless cycle. At one point the Praetorian Guard would auction the title of emperor to the highest bidder. At a period of 100 years the empire would elect 37 emperors, 25 of whom were murdered. The internal turmoil of the Roman government resulted in the depreciation of national pride and faith in the government, which ultimately sponsored the empire’s decline and final