Ancient Rome and the Origins of

Christianity

Lesson 2: The Roman Empire: The Fall of Rome

BELLWORK

Answer the following question with your neighbor:

What were the contributing factors that led to the fall of Rome?

Lesson 2 Objectives

Identify the factors that led to the decline and fall of Rome

Determine the most important factors that led to the fall of Rome

Analyze the lasting impact of the Roman civilization

Why Did Rome Fall?

The fall of the Roman civilization is seen as an important event in the history of Western civilization

Historians argue over the root causes of the fall of the civilization, but all agree that there are multiple contributions

Military

The attacks on Rome were successful

because Roman legions of the late

empire lacked discipline and training of

the earlier empire

The Roman military was mostly

composed of mercenaries in the border

areas

These men had little loyalty to Rome

Political

The government became more

oppressive and authoritarian

Lost the support of the Roman people

Corrupt officials undermined the

loyalty of the people and caused

frequent civil wars over succession

Rival armies also supported

commanders for the throne and

weakened power

Economic

Heavy taxes to support the huge

government and military

The middle class sank in poverty

Slave labor discouraged Romans from

exploring new technology

Loss of territories lost a vital source of

income

Population declined with war and

epidemics

Social

Decline in patriotism, self-discipline,

devotion to duty, and loyalty that

built the empire

Upper class was focused on

themselves rather than on leadership

Did Rome Really Fall?

There was still and emperor who

ruled the eastern Roman empire - the

Byzantine Empire - lasted another

1,000 years

“Fall” can be interpreted as the long

slow change from one way of life to

another

The people were the same, yet were

ruled by others

Germanic Changes

Germanic customs and languages

began to replace Latin and Roman

law in many places

Roman structures and cities began to

disappear

Christianity was one of the only

remaining cultural connections

It eventually provided for the

creation of the medieval civilizations