World Civ Paper
Alexis Barr 11/8/14
What Were the Primary Reasons for the “Fall” of Rome?
In 700 BCE the Rome was founded. The city of Rome became the center of one of the world’s greatest empires. As years went on, the Roman Empire began to decline. There were many events that led to this decline. The primary reasons for the “fall” of Rome were natural disasters, economic troubles, and a series of military failures. The natural disasters that struck Rome were the plague and an earthquake. The earthquake was the first to strike Rome in 336 CE (Doc F). This caused the Mediterranean shores to become dry due to the retreat of the sea. The tide soon returned and resulted in an immense flood in which fifty thousand people lost their lives. Following the earthquake tragedy, a series of plagues arrived in Rome. It brought diseases from southern Asia to areas such as the Mediterranean (Doc F). These diseases demolished the Roman population. The population decreased from a million people to 250,000 people (Doc F).The economic issues that surrounded Rome resulted from the plagues. The difficulty of troop recruitment forced the empire to hire Germanic soldiers to guard its frontiers (Doc F). The need to pay troops added to the demand on the state’s budget. This was during the time in which the declining production cut into tax revenues (Doc F).The most important reason for the fall of Rome were the series of military failures. In 410 CE, Rome was sacked by the invading German tribe called the Visigoths. In 455 CE, Rome was sacked by Vandals-another German tribe. Finally, Rome falls to Goths which was also a German tribe. These losses were due to lack of armor. The customary armor seemed to be heavy since the soldiers rarely ever wore it so they fought the Goths without any protection (Doc B). Overall, there were many events that led to the potential fall of the Roman Empire.
What Were the Primary Reasons for the “Fall” of Rome?
In 700 BCE the Rome was founded. The city of Rome became the center of one of the world’s greatest empires. As years went on, the Roman Empire began to decline. There were many events that led to this decline. The primary reasons for the “fall” of Rome were natural disasters, economic troubles, and a series of military failures. The natural disasters that struck Rome were the plague and an earthquake. The earthquake was the first to strike Rome in 336 CE (Doc F). This caused the Mediterranean shores to become dry due to the retreat of the sea. The tide soon returned and resulted in an immense flood in which fifty thousand people lost their lives. Following the earthquake tragedy, a series of plagues arrived in Rome. It brought diseases from southern Asia to areas such as the Mediterranean (Doc F). These diseases demolished the Roman population. The population decreased from a million people to 250,000 people (Doc F).The economic issues that surrounded Rome resulted from the plagues. The difficulty of troop recruitment forced the empire to hire Germanic soldiers to guard its frontiers (Doc F). The need to pay troops added to the demand on the state’s budget. This was during the time in which the declining production cut into tax revenues (Doc F).The most important reason for the fall of Rome were the series of military failures. In 410 CE, Rome was sacked by the invading German tribe called the Visigoths. In 455 CE, Rome was sacked by Vandals-another German tribe. Finally, Rome falls to Goths which was also a German tribe. These losses were due to lack of armor. The customary armor seemed to be heavy since the soldiers rarely ever wore it so they fought the Goths without any protection (Doc B). Overall, there were many events that led to the potential fall of the Roman Empire.