Why Did The Fall Of The Roman Empire

The Roman Empire existed for nearly 1,000 years. Beginning in the 6th century BCE, Rome began to take root. Over the next several hundred years, it spread its boarders and influence throughout the rim of the Mediterranean and Western Europe. However, the empire collapsed in 476 CE. How did this happen? Why did such an influential giant fall? Well, despite Rome’s great power, it had several internal faults that, when combined, lead to its eventual collapse. The first reason for Rome’s fall was the instability of the Roman government. The final years of Rome were characterized by frequent emperor changes. Each emperor ruled for a few short years and then was quickly usurped by a stronger opponent. This tumultuousness and internal fighting led to the instability of the government. This left the government and the nation vulnerable to attack from Barbarian tribes, because politicians and top generals were more worried about fighting each other for power than protecting the country. Thus, one cause for the fall of Rome was the creation of an unstable government by internal fighting.
The Barbarian tribes surrounding Rome constantly tried to attack and push its boarders back over the last few hundred years of its existence. The Roman armies, when not fighting each other for political control, had to run from boarder to boarder attempting to push the Barbarian advances back. Boarder running and constant warfare took a toll on the Roman army; it also stretched it pretty thin. By the end of Rome, the army was barely able to stall the advances of the hordes. If the army was not weakened by endless combat, it may have been able to keep the tribes from sacking and taking Rome; Rome may even have been able to last a few hundred more