The Fall of the
Roman Empire
Chapter 6 Unit 4
Notes
The fall of the roman empire
Main idea:
 Empire building: internal problems
and invasions spurred the division
and decline of the roman empire
Why now:
 Decline and fall of great
civilizations is a repeating pattern in
world history
Terms:
 Inflation, mercenary, Diocletian,
Constantinople and Attila
The Fall of The Roman Empire
Setting the Stage:
 3rd century AD Rome had many
problems (external and
internal)
 Drastic economic, military, and
political reforms couldn’t hold
off the collapse
A Century In Crisis
 Death of Marcus Aurelius (180
AD) ended the Pax Romana
 Future rulers lack of
experience leads to more
problems and decline
A Century In Crisis
Rome’s Economy Weakens
 Factors of weakening economy:




Hostile tribes/pirates disrupted trade
Lack of new sources of gold/silver
Raised taxes for more revenue
Made more money with less silver
 INFLATION: drop in value of $$ and rise in
prices
A Century In Crisis
 Factors of agricultural
decline:
 Harvest meager (over worked
land)
 War destroyed lands
 Food shortage = starvation and
disease = drop in population
A Century in Crisis
Military and Political Turmoil
 Military issues:
 Less discipline and loyalty
 Allegiance to commander NOT
Rome
 Recruited mercenaries (hired
soldiers) to protect gov’t
 Loss in patriotism
Emperors Attempt Reform
 Empire stayed intact for 200 more
years
 Reform minded Emperors
 Division of Empire
Diocletian Reforms the Empire:
 Ruled in 284 AD
 Limited freedoms
 Restored order and increased
strength
 Claimed to be a descendent of the
Gods
Emperors Attempt Reform
Diocletian con’t…
 Believed empire was too large so
divided it in 2:
 East: Greece, Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt
 West: Italy, Gaul, Britain, Spain
 Diocletian took the east and gave
the west to a co-ruler
 Diocletian maintained overall control
 East became center of trade and wealth
 Diocletian was ill, civil war broke
out and Constantine took over
Emperors Attempt Reform
Constantine Moves the Capital
 Gained control of west in AD 312
and 12 years later gained control of
east
 AD 330 moved capital to Byzantium
on the Bosporus Strait (connected
E + W)
 Center of power shifted to east
 Called Constantinople (City of
Constantine)
 Constantine died, Empire divides again:
 W = Fall and E = survive
The Western Empire Crumbles
 Decline took many years:
 Internal conflicts
 Outside invasions
Germanic Invasions
 Northern border had co-existed
 370 Huns moved into the area and
destroyed all in path
 Germanics pushed into Rome to avoid
Huns
 Barbarians = non Romans
 Lack of Army = German plunder
Rome
The Western Empire Crumbles
Attila the Hun
 Indirectly responsible for
German invasion of Rome
 Huns destroyed 70 cities in the
east (but Constantinople)
 452 arrive in Rome
 Rome weak from disease and famine
The Western Empire Crumbles
 Last emperor Romulus Augustus
(14)
 Ousted by Germans in 476
 Eastern half = Byzantium
 Flourished for next 1000 years
 Emperors saw themselves as heirs
to Augustus Caesar
Multiple Causes of the Fall of Rome
Contributing Factors
POLITICAL
Office seen as
a burden
Military
interfered
SOCIAL
Decline in
interests
Low
confidence
Economic
Poor harvests
Disruption in
trade
Military
Threats in
North
Low funds for
defense
Inflation
Civil war
Division of
Empire
Lack of
Patriotism
Tax burden
Rich/Poor
contrast
Gap between
rich and poor
Decline in
population
Decline in
population
Immediate Causes = Germanic Tribes and Huns