Why Did The Fall Of The Roman Empire
The Roman Empire left a lasting impression on future civilizations due to its powerful military and political structure. Despite its early success, however, the empire fell into economic decline. But if the civilization was so powerful, why did it crumble by 476 AD? Many factors contributed to the empire’s demise, but historians routinely cite slavery and the spread of Christianity as the main factors. Some historians argue that the empire’s overreliance on slave labor collapsed the civilization; while others argue that the spread of Christianity changed the face of the civilization such that it was almost unrecognizable. After examining the evidence, I believe that the fall of the Roman Empire can be directly attributed to its overreliance
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While Christianity was an important issue near the end of the Rome empire, the persecution of Christians was a byproduct of the cruelty and unjust treatment the leaders of Rome were already subjecting slaves to. This was supported well by Peter Temin and Moses Maka Ndimukikam, who made better overarching arguments as to why slavery collapsed the civilization. The collapse of the agriculture industry and trade was due to the lack of slave labor. Throughout the empire’s rule, it participated in war after war and conflict after conflict. This provided the civilization with slave labor and riches, which continuously stimulated the economy and allowed them to expand. As the wars slowed down, so did Rome’s economy. In the end, these events caused a much larger problem than Christianity in the civilization. The Roman Empire failed to keep expanding, which negatively affected every industry in the empire. While the spread of Christianity did create a cultural change, as MacCormack and Moorhead argue, it did not affect Rome’s finances and structure as much as slave labor did. The Romans became financially dependent on slave labor. Slavery was a way of life to them, so much so that the rich became unable to do the simplest of
While Christianity was an important issue near the end of the Rome empire, the persecution of Christians was a byproduct of the cruelty and unjust treatment the leaders of Rome were already subjecting slaves to. This was supported well by Peter Temin and Moses Maka Ndimukikam, who made better overarching arguments as to why slavery collapsed the civilization. The collapse of the agriculture industry and trade was due to the lack of slave labor. Throughout the empire’s rule, it participated in war after war and conflict after conflict. This provided the civilization with slave labor and riches, which continuously stimulated the economy and allowed them to expand. As the wars slowed down, so did Rome’s economy. In the end, these events caused a much larger problem than Christianity in the civilization. The Roman Empire failed to keep expanding, which negatively affected every industry in the empire. While the spread of Christianity did create a cultural change, as MacCormack and Moorhead argue, it did not affect Rome’s finances and structure as much as slave labor did. The Romans became financially dependent on slave labor. Slavery was a way of life to them, so much so that the rich became unable to do the simplest of