How Did Rome Become Successful
The Roman Empire was one of the longest lasting and most successful in history. Although the exact date isn’t known it’s widely believed that the Roman Empire began around 27 BC and lasted, at least the eastern part, until 1453 AD. That’s practically 1,500 years of running a successful regime. For a little comparison the United States has been around for a paltry 240 years, less than one-sixth of the time. So if Rome was so incredibly successful, why isn’t it still around? What happened that caused the downfall of such a powerful empire? There were a variety of factors that played into this situation but in this article we will focus on three; the Roman military, the leaders, and the size of the empire.
The Roman Military Probably the biggest
factor that led to the fall was the failing of the Roman army. Rome was known for their immense army made up of the best soldiers and the brightest commanders. However, around 193 AD the military began to lose power. Roman citizens no longer were willingly enlisting like they had in the past. So, in order to attract more soldiers, Emperor Septimius Severus loosened army regulations and gave soldiers more rights and privileges. This failed to draw in the numbers hoped so the next emperor, Diocletian, took things a step further. In 284 AD he introduced a mandatory draft, but while this did fill out the ranks, it also created animosity amongst the people by forcing people into service. At the same time they allowed non-roman citizens enlist for the first time in the regular legions (legions are groups of about 4,800 men). This again boosted their numbers, but the non-citizens were less loyal and created dissent in the army.
Weak Leaders Another big factor that led to the fall of the empire was the lack of strong leadership. When the empire first begun it had powerful leaders like Caesar and Octavian, whom weren’t kind individuals, but did have a vision for Rome. They did what they believed was good for the creation and expansion of the empire. By 200 AD the emperors had lost that vision. Instead they used their position to store up personal wealth and power. Size of the Empire At the peak of their power Rome controlled close to 2 million square miles of land. When their army began to fade it became harder and harder to control territories at the edge of their empire. There was simply too much land to cover. To combat this problem, Emperor Diocletian decided to split the empire into two parts, an eastern part and a western part. Each of these sides had their own separate emperors, government, and military. While this worked for a while, the two sides soon began to bicker over power. In 324 AD Constantine succeeded in pulling the two halves together once again, but they split once more after his death. The western side (modern day Europe) fell to invaders soon after this. Surrounded on all sides by hostile Germanic tribes they simply didn’t have the army strength to hold them off. The eastern half (middle east) was much less threatened by invaders and lasted another 1,000 years.
The Roman Military Probably the biggest
factor that led to the fall was the failing of the Roman army. Rome was known for their immense army made up of the best soldiers and the brightest commanders. However, around 193 AD the military began to lose power. Roman citizens no longer were willingly enlisting like they had in the past. So, in order to attract more soldiers, Emperor Septimius Severus loosened army regulations and gave soldiers more rights and privileges. This failed to draw in the numbers hoped so the next emperor, Diocletian, took things a step further. In 284 AD he introduced a mandatory draft, but while this did fill out the ranks, it also created animosity amongst the people by forcing people into service. At the same time they allowed non-roman citizens enlist for the first time in the regular legions (legions are groups of about 4,800 men). This again boosted their numbers, but the non-citizens were less loyal and created dissent in the army.
Weak Leaders Another big factor that led to the fall of the empire was the lack of strong leadership. When the empire first begun it had powerful leaders like Caesar and Octavian, whom weren’t kind individuals, but did have a vision for Rome. They did what they believed was good for the creation and expansion of the empire. By 200 AD the emperors had lost that vision. Instead they used their position to store up personal wealth and power. Size of the Empire At the peak of their power Rome controlled close to 2 million square miles of land. When their army began to fade it became harder and harder to control territories at the edge of their empire. There was simply too much land to cover. To combat this problem, Emperor Diocletian decided to split the empire into two parts, an eastern part and a western part. Each of these sides had their own separate emperors, government, and military. While this worked for a while, the two sides soon began to bicker over power. In 324 AD Constantine succeeded in pulling the two halves together once again, but they split once more after his death. The western side (modern day Europe) fell to invaders soon after this. Surrounded on all sides by hostile Germanic tribes they simply didn’t have the army strength to hold them off. The eastern half (middle east) was much less threatened by invaders and lasted another 1,000 years.