Fall of the Roman Empire
The inability of the Roman army to stop the Huns was just one sign of
the empire’s weakness after the Pax Romana ended. After 180 AD,
the empire was confronted not only by challenges from outside, but
also by growing problems from within.
Weak Leaders
When the last of the Good Emperors died, Rome
was left without a strong leader. The empire endured a series of civil
wars. Part of the problem was that Rome found itself under increasing
threat of invasion by tribal peoples along both the eastern and western
frontiers. To meet this growing threat, emperors increased the size of
Rome’s army. Soon the growing demands on both the empire’s
financial resources and its military caused a serious and prolonged
economic crisis. This crisis lessened the stability and prosperity
Rome had enjoyed during the Pax Romana. As the crisis continued,
the empire became a kind of military dictatorship. The legions had
become the center of power, as they deposed (removed from power)
emperors and elevated their own leaders to the throne. Between 235
and 284, twenty emperors reigned. All but one died violently. T
Economic Troubles The insecurity of civil wars and invasions
affected many aspects of Roman life. Robbery and piracy increased,
and travel became hazardous. Merchants feared to ship goods.
Military needs required ever increasing amounts of revenue, and to
collect more money, emperors raised taxes. As taxes rose, however,
the value of money declined. Since Rome was no longer expanding,
conquests no longer brought in new sources of wealth. To maintain
the money supply, emperors minted new coin with copper and lead as
well as silver. When people realized coins contained less silver, they
refused to accept the currency at its face value. The result was
growing inflation, or a dramatic rise in prices.
Invasion and Fall
Despite the reforms of some leaders, the
empire’s serious problems continued and were worsened by invading
forces along the empire’s borders. In the late 300s, a new nomadic
Central Asian people, the Huns, stormed out of the east and began
defeating many Germanic tribes. The Huns were fierce and lived by
looting and plundering. They struck terror in the people they attacked.
Many of their victims fled south. The Huns formed a vast empire in
Eurasia. Pushed by the Huns, other tribes also soon attacked the
Roman Empire. The Vandals, infamous for destroying everything in
their path, invaded Rome in the 450s. The word vandal comes from
this destructive tribe. In the mid-400s Attila, the leader of the Huns, led
an attack on Gaul. The Roman army allied with the Visigoths and
together they defeated the Huns in a great battle in 451. After Gaul,
Attila set his sights on Rome but after speaking with Pope Leo I, Attila
and his troops left Italy instead. Despite the Huns’ retreat, Rome lay in
a shambles. Germanic tribes ruled most of the western provinces,
including Italy. In 476, the Ostrogothics defeated Romulus Augustus,
and with this, the Western Roman Empire ended.
Complete the following
WEAK LEADERSHIP
AFTER AD 200
ECONOMIC CRISES
Causes of the
Fall of Rome
SOCIAL UNREST &
INSECURITY
INVASIONS
In one paragraph answer the following question – Which of the
above had the greatest impact? Why?
IS IT TRUE…DOES HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?
The United States was the world’s remaining “super power” after the collapse of the
Soviet Union in the late 1980s. But how long will America’s “top billing” in the world last?
Some social scientists believe the USA’s days are numbered, comparing the nation to the
Roman Empire at the eve of its collapse. Is the USA spiraling towards collapse, or will
American dominance in the world continue?
2001
September 11, 2001 - Islamic fundamentalist terrorists hijack four U.S. airliners
and crash them into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York City.
September 18, 2001 - Anthrax attacks by mail from Princeton, New Jersey against news
and government targets begin.
October 7, 2001 - In response to the tragedy of September 11, the United States military,
with participation from its ally the United Kingdom, commence the first attack in the War
on Terrorism on the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
2004
February 3, 2004 - The Central Intelligence Agency admits that the imminent
threat from weapons of mass destruction was not present before the 2003 Iraq war
began.
November 2, 2004 - President George W. Bush wins reelection over Democratic Senator
John Kerry from Massachusetts. He wins 50.7% of the popular vote and 286 votes in the
Electoral College.
2006
October 17, 2006 - The population of the United States reaches the milestone of
three hundred million, taking only forty-two years to gain one hundred million people since
the two hundredth million person was added in 1964. At the same time, a vibrant debate
on immigration policy, particularly illegal immigration, ensues across the nation.
November 7, 2006 - In the mid-term elections, both houses of Congress change back to
Democratic hands for the first time since 1994. This is seen as a referendum by many on
the Iraq policy of the Bush administration as well as personal Republican scandals among
some House and Senate members.
economic crises that had been brewing all year. The bailout was supported by current
President George W. Bush and both presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John
McCain.
2009
January 20, 2009 - Barack Obama takes the oath of office for President of the
United States, becoming the first African-American president in the history of the nation.
The Democratic Senator from Illinois comes into the office on a message of Change.
The city of Washington, D.C. hosts more than one million visitors to the inauguration,
covering the National Mall in a way reminiscent of the Civil Rights March of Martin Luther
King forty-six years earlier.
April 15, 2009 - After a succession of big government spending projects beginning in the
Bush administration and expanded under President Obama, 750 grass roots Tea Party
protests spring up across the nation. More than one half million citizens concerned with
increased deficits due to such actions such as the bailout of the banking industry, car
industry, potential cap and trade legislation, and other administration projects that project
a ten trillion dollar deficit over the next decade take part.
October 31, 2009 - The economic recession continues to deepen as jobless claims climb
above 10.0%, reaching 10.2% with October's monthly figures. This occurs despite efforts
by the Obama administration to ramp up massive government spending pushed by the
$780 billion economic stimulus package passed earlier in the year.
2010
January 2010 - With versions passed by the House and Senate during
December 2009, both houses attempt to reconcile the Health Care Reform and expansion
into a bill that can pass both houses. The legislation, which would be the most sweeping
change in health care law since Medicare, has been a priority for the Obama
administration despite the disproval from the majority of the public to the specific plans
involved.
2011
August 02, 201 - The US House of Representatives passes a last-minute deal to
avoid a federal debt default - 269 votes to 161, as angry Democrats turn their fire on
President Barack Obama, accusing him of a surrender to Republicans.
Questions for discussion on US-Roman Comparison:
1. How is the current United States similar to the Roman Empire?
2007
June 2, 2007 - A terror plot to blow up JFK International Airport in New York City
is thwarted when four terrorists are arrested and charged with its plan.
October 3, 2008 - The United States Congress passes legislation, signed by President
Bush, for a $700 billion bailout, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, giving the
Treasury Department authority to assist distressed Wall Street and banking businesses of
the United States due to the housing, banking, and subprime mortgage crises caused by
excessive greed and speculation among Wall Street firms. This economic distress,
coupled with oil prices above $140 per barrel during the summer, deepened the world
2. How is the current United States dissimilar to the Roman Empire?
3. Is the passage misleading to the reader? How so?
4. Are your comparisons subjective (opinion) or objective (fact)?
5. Do you think the end is near for the United States? Why or why not?