Historians past and present have suggested several reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire. The mind- map shown in SOURCE4 outlines some of them. War and economic collapse stand out as the key reasons.
SOURCE4 Reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire
Christianity Some early writers claimed that Christianity weakened Rome because it made many people into pacifists.
Civil wars The involvement of Roman army legions in civil wars reduced Rome’s ability to hold its frontiers.
Declining health Some writers argued that lead poisoning through water carried in lead pipes caused a decline in Roman health and intelligence.
The changing Roman army As attacks on the empire increased, ever more barbarians were recruited into the Roman army. The army’s loyalty could no longer be taken for granted. Roman legions were essential for the empire’s survival, but they were rebellious and a huge drain on Rome’s finances.
Moral decline and corruption Some early writers pointed to a decline in morals. Roman emperors increasingly came to power through corrupt means, and several of them were assassinated. Economic collapse Farm labour was increasingly performed by slaves, which threatened the livelihoods of small farmers and farm workers. These citizens became an unproductive burden on the state. As Rome lost control in the provinces, trade became more difficult and Rome lost the taxes it had received from these areas.
Reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire
The barbarians Pressures from large groups of barbarians on several of the empire’s frontiers were increasingly hard to withstand.
SkillBuilder discussion Continuity and change 1. Study SOURCE4 . How did the barbarians contribute to the fall of the Roman Empire? 2. What is the most important reason for the fall of the Roman Empire? 3. What role did religion play in the fall of the Roman Empire?
5.11 SkillBuilder activity QUESTIONING AND RESEARCHING, COMMUNICATING Several barbarian groups contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. 1. Select one of these groups to focus on. 2. Investigate your chosen group, making notes on any points that explain how they contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. Many websites provide useful information in this area. 3. Select at least three sources that help to provide evidence for your explanation. Make sure you keep a list of all sites or sources you use for your bibliography. 4. Create a report to present to the class. You could include some illustrations in your report or support it with a PowerPoint presentation.
TOPIC5 Ancient Rome 167
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator