Social Causes
As the Roman Empire expanded, Rome itself changed a great deal. Vast numbers of people from the
conquered territories, attracted by the wealth of Roman society, migrated to the Rome only to find
that there were no homes or jobs waiting for them. Emperors were forced to spend insane amounts of
money to support panem et circensem (“bread and circuses” – the gladiatorial games), just to prevent
riots and uprisings by the hungry lower classes.
This new influx of people to Rome also brought with it disease. Toward its
end, the Roman Empire suffered devastating outbreaks of plague, (a highly
contagious, very deadly disease), the most severe of which was the plague
of 166-180 CE. There were also devastating outbreaks of malaria, (a
disease transmitted by mosquito bites), and lead poisoning as Romans
began using lead pipes to bring in the extra drinking water needed for the
growing cities. (Fun fact: fear of lead poisoning is the same reason we can’t
drink out the water fountains here!)
Political Causes
Political problems greatly contributed to Rome’s decline. First, as the government became more
oppressive and authoritarian, it lost the support of the people. Growing numbers of corrupt officials
made it difficult for people to trust the government. There were frequent civil wars in Rome over
succession to the imperial throne. Again and again, rival armies battled to have their commanders
chosen as emperor.
Perhaps the most important political cause of the fall of the
Roman Empire was the division of the Roman Empire into an
Eastern empire and a Western empire. In 284 CE, Emperor
Diocletian decided to divide the empire into two, in order to make
it easier to govern the vast empire. The eastern empire became
richer, and did not come to the aid of the western empire as it
began to fall apart.
Economic Causes
In order to keep money coming in to pay for food and entertainment for the jobless and hungry
masses in Rome, a giant bureaucracy, (administrative system), had to be installed to collect taxes
from all citizens throughout the empire. These taxes were crushingly expensive, which made more
people homeless, hungry, and demanding the Ancient-style welfare of “bread and circuses”. With so
much money being spent to prevent uprisings among Rome’s poorer classes, there was little gold in
the treasury for anything else.
In addition, as Rome’s enemies drew closer around
it, trade became increasingly difficult. With little trade
coming in, merchants and businesspeople were
making less money. When people began making
less money, they began to hoard (save) more. As
people saved more and spent less, the Roman
economy began to collapse because no one was
buying anything! As the economy worsened, the
government decided upon a solution: raising taxes.
(See the paragraph above this one for why this might
not have been the best idea!)
Military Causes
The Roman legions of the late army lacked the discipline and training of past
Roman armies. In the latter years of the empire, frustrated Romans lost their
desire to defend the empire. To meet its need for soldiers, Rome hired
mercenaries, or foreign soldiers serving for pay, to defend its borders. Such an
army was not reliable, and very expensive. Many were warriors, who, according
to some historians, felt little loyalty to Rome. Read the following excerpt that
blames the fall of Rome on problems with the military:
“Rome, like all great empires, was not overthrown by external enemies but undermined by internal
decay...The military crisis was the result of...proud old aristocracy’s...shortage of children.
(Consequently), foreigners poured into this...void (lack of soldiers). The Roman army was composed
entirely of Germans.”
- Indro Montanelli
Foreign Invasion
As Rome weakened from within, its enemies began to edge closer and closer to the heart of the
empire. One Roman emperor, Valens, tried to eliminate the threat of invasion by allowing enemies of
Rome to settle within the borders of the empire. However, these settlers were mistreated by Roman
administrators and rebelled in 376 CE. The fighting was so fierce that Emperor Valens himself was
killed and the Romans ultimately suffered a humiliating defeat in 382 CE.
After the success of this first uprising, Rome was forced to parry off near constant attacks from
barbarian hordes. In December of 406 CE, a mixed band of tribes crossed the frozen Rhine river,
which runs through the center of Europe, and steadily began taking away lands from the Roman
Empire. The barbarian forces moved steadily closer to the capital and twice manage to surround and
overrun the city. Finally in 480 CE, the Western Roman Empire collapsed entirely. The Eastern
portion of the empire would stand strong for some time afterwards, but would soon face troubles of its
own...