Internal Factors of Fall of Roman Empire
Autor: Yoyo14 • March 19, 2012 • Essay • 463 Words (2 Pages) • 7,572 Views
One of the most famous times in history was the fall of the Roman empire in 476 A.D.. The cause of the fall is argued by professor Peter Heather that the internal factors of Rome did not play a role in the demise, but what caused it were the barbaric invasions. Antonio Santosusso greatly disagreed and believes that the many internal factors that Rome faced were responsible for the fall of the Roman empire.
The barbaric invasions of the Germans and Huns weakened then Roman army which was not very strong, nor large. Rome's army was quite scarce in manpower making it easy for the barbarians to threaten and persuade the army. The Huns approached the Roman army and asked it's emperor for permission to enter and seek refuge. Naively, the romans allowed the Huns to enter. The Huns instead took over various lands in Rome and forced citizens to pay taxes. This eventually eliminated middle class citizens, and slowly minimized Roman population. Disease and widespread plagues to all of the towns, causing many people to die are also considered responsible for the fall of the empire.
Rome had many internal factors that are believed to be the actual cause of the fall of the empire. Rome faced many, social, economical, and political issues. Many of the social problems in Rome were due to unhappy citizens that were so upset and tired of the widespread slavery as well as losing trust in the army, and government. The economical hardships faced by the romans were due to the greedy emperors and drainage of gold and silver, that was used for the lavish lifestyles the emperors lived. Political issues were caused greatly by Christianity. The religion played a large role in the church's leaders seizing power over the emperor and interfering with the way the empire worked. Many violent disputes between the Christians and Pagans also added to the turmoil. One of the main destroying factors was the internal disintegration
...