Analysis Of The Roman Empire: The Demise Of An Empire By Edward Gibbons
righttopEiman Malik
World History
5/26/2014
40000100000Eiman Malik
World History
5/26/2014
left319046100left2514600The Demise of an Empire
07300The Demise of an Empire
The Demise of an Empire
Edward Gibbons, author of the esteemed novel The Decline and Fall of Rome, once cleverly wrote “the decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness. Prosperity ripened the principle of decay. The story of the ruin is simple and obvious and instead of inquiring why the Roman Empire was destroyed we should rather be surprised that it has subsisted for so long." The Roman Empire lasted over 500 years and had seemed invincible and immortal, only to fall as all civilizations inevitably do when their time comes. The empire was known to be incredibly powerful, extending its rule across the Mediterranean, Western Europe and North Africa, achieving feats in all areas such as architecture, philosophy and poetry and defeating its enemies with ease. But what factors lead to the slow and steady decline of a superpower the world once looked up to with awe and fear? The Roman Empire’s collapse did not have one solid …show more content…
concrete reason, but had many contributing factors that ultimately lead to its demise. One could say that the rise and fall of the Roman Empire prophesizes the same fate that superpower nations will also share, unless society can learn from its ancestors mistakes and change its ways.
One of the primary reasons of Rome’s deterioration were the invasions made by barbarian tribes. Rome had suffered a string of military losses and had struggled fighting against the Germanic tribes for centuries. In the late fourth century, an uprising by the Germanic tribe had left Rome shaking. By 476, the Germanic leader, Odoacer, staged a revolt and had Romulus Augustulos, the last Roman emperor deposed. Within the walls of Rome, many problems were also occurring leading to its collapse from the within. There was a financial crisis due to the constant wars and overspending resulting in the overdependence on slaves. Oppressive taxation and inflation caused the gap between the rich and the poor. Rome was an empire that constantly conquered new lands supplying the need for more slaves and treasure. When expansion stopped in the second century, the economy and commercial and agriculture production significantly declined resulting in their iron grip on Europe to loosen. Furthermore by the fifth century, the Vandals had claimed North Africa, negatively affecting their trading system.
Many historians agree that the division of the empire into an Eastern and Western component was where downfall became inevitable. Eventually the two empires drifted apart only to fight over resources and the military resulting in a failure to work together. The rise of the Germanic tribes also became a plus for the eastern side as they targeted the west therefore an alliance between the two seemed futile. After the fall of the Western empire, the eastern empire continued to reign for around a millennia more before the Ottoman Empire arrived and conquered. The spread of Christianity is said to have also contributed as it had become the newly accepted and official religion of Rome in 380 AD. The acceptance of Christianity ended years of persecution and displaced polytheism which had given the emperor divine right. Popes and church leaders had an increasing role in political affairs which some believed it may have been detrimental to Rome.
Along with their weakening military, the Roman Empire’s government was filled to the brim with corruption. They had ineffective and inconsistent leadership with civil wars increasingly becoming common. Twenty men had been emperor of Rome in its last 75 years with their predecessors usually assassinated or murdered. The Praetorian Guard put anybody they wanted on the throne and once even auctioned the position to the highest bidder. The Senate was no better off, as corruption and incompetence was present there as well. All these factors lead to civil pride waning in citizens and a loss of trust. Their military used to be renowned and feared all around the world with the best soldiers. Eventually the Roman Empire was unable to recruit soldiers, thus having to hire foreign mercenaries. Many of these mercenaries were those from the Germanic tribes, who were competent but not loyal to the Empire. They often turned against the Romans mid-battle.
The Roman Empire was bountiful, powerful and seemingly infallible.
But, as stated previously all great civilizations come to an end. The mistakes made by the Romans can be used as valuable lessons by modern nations, so they can delay the same fate that the Romans ultimately met.
Bibliography:
"When and Why Did Rome Fall?." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014. <http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/romefa
Guess, Steven. "The end of empire." theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 19 Jan. 2009. Web. 26 May 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/jan/19/barack-obama-rome-empire>.
"Fall of The Roman Empire...in the 15th Century: Crash Course World History #12." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PszVWZNWVA&feature=kp>.
World History
5/26/2014
40000100000Eiman Malik
World History
5/26/2014
left319046100left2514600The Demise of an Empire
07300The Demise of an Empire
The Demise of an Empire
Edward Gibbons, author of the esteemed novel The Decline and Fall of Rome, once cleverly wrote “the decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness. Prosperity ripened the principle of decay. The story of the ruin is simple and obvious and instead of inquiring why the Roman Empire was destroyed we should rather be surprised that it has subsisted for so long." The Roman Empire lasted over 500 years and had seemed invincible and immortal, only to fall as all civilizations inevitably do when their time comes. The empire was known to be incredibly powerful, extending its rule across the Mediterranean, Western Europe and North Africa, achieving feats in all areas such as architecture, philosophy and poetry and defeating its enemies with ease. But what factors lead to the slow and steady decline of a superpower the world once looked up to with awe and fear? The Roman Empire’s collapse did not have one solid …show more content…
concrete reason, but had many contributing factors that ultimately lead to its demise. One could say that the rise and fall of the Roman Empire prophesizes the same fate that superpower nations will also share, unless society can learn from its ancestors mistakes and change its ways.
One of the primary reasons of Rome’s deterioration were the invasions made by barbarian tribes. Rome had suffered a string of military losses and had struggled fighting against the Germanic tribes for centuries. In the late fourth century, an uprising by the Germanic tribe had left Rome shaking. By 476, the Germanic leader, Odoacer, staged a revolt and had Romulus Augustulos, the last Roman emperor deposed. Within the walls of Rome, many problems were also occurring leading to its collapse from the within. There was a financial crisis due to the constant wars and overspending resulting in the overdependence on slaves. Oppressive taxation and inflation caused the gap between the rich and the poor. Rome was an empire that constantly conquered new lands supplying the need for more slaves and treasure. When expansion stopped in the second century, the economy and commercial and agriculture production significantly declined resulting in their iron grip on Europe to loosen. Furthermore by the fifth century, the Vandals had claimed North Africa, negatively affecting their trading system.
Many historians agree that the division of the empire into an Eastern and Western component was where downfall became inevitable. Eventually the two empires drifted apart only to fight over resources and the military resulting in a failure to work together. The rise of the Germanic tribes also became a plus for the eastern side as they targeted the west therefore an alliance between the two seemed futile. After the fall of the Western empire, the eastern empire continued to reign for around a millennia more before the Ottoman Empire arrived and conquered. The spread of Christianity is said to have also contributed as it had become the newly accepted and official religion of Rome in 380 AD. The acceptance of Christianity ended years of persecution and displaced polytheism which had given the emperor divine right. Popes and church leaders had an increasing role in political affairs which some believed it may have been detrimental to Rome.
Along with their weakening military, the Roman Empire’s government was filled to the brim with corruption. They had ineffective and inconsistent leadership with civil wars increasingly becoming common. Twenty men had been emperor of Rome in its last 75 years with their predecessors usually assassinated or murdered. The Praetorian Guard put anybody they wanted on the throne and once even auctioned the position to the highest bidder. The Senate was no better off, as corruption and incompetence was present there as well. All these factors lead to civil pride waning in citizens and a loss of trust. Their military used to be renowned and feared all around the world with the best soldiers. Eventually the Roman Empire was unable to recruit soldiers, thus having to hire foreign mercenaries. Many of these mercenaries were those from the Germanic tribes, who were competent but not loyal to the Empire. They often turned against the Romans mid-battle.
The Roman Empire was bountiful, powerful and seemingly infallible.
But, as stated previously all great civilizations come to an end. The mistakes made by the Romans can be used as valuable lessons by modern nations, so they can delay the same fate that the Romans ultimately met.
Bibliography:
"When and Why Did Rome Fall?." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014. <http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/romefa
Guess, Steven. "The end of empire." theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 19 Jan. 2009. Web. 26 May 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/jan/19/barack-obama-rome-empire>.
"Fall of The Roman Empire...in the 15th Century: Crash Course World History #12." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PszVWZNWVA&feature=kp>.