Fall of the Roman Empire

Mr. Lawrence

The Power Structure Crumbles

• The Power Structure of Rome Crumbles because of Seven Key Aspects (However, they are all interrelated:

1. The Economy Falters 2. Trade Slows3. Welfare Becomes to Expensive4. The Military Weakens5. The Government is Corrupt6. The Rise of Christianity 7. Invasion (The Nail in the Coffin)

The Power Structure Crumbles

• The Roman Economy begins to Falter as expansion ends due to:– Inflation ensues because of a lack of

Natural Resources (Precious Metals)– Also Trade Begins to Slow except for the

Silk Road– Also the Food supply begins to shrink• Welfare Becomes to Expensive at this time

because of both inflation and shrinking food supplies

The Power Structure Crumbles

• Trade Slows because the Trade routes become dangerous do to bandits and Barbarians, Further Weakening the Economy

• The Military cannot stop the Bandits because the Military begins to weaken due to the of new practice of hiring Mercenaries in the place of Romans

• Also the Government is Corrupt from bad Emperors and cannot address these major issues

The Power Structure Crumbles

• Also with the Rise of Christianity the masses are becoming less loyal to Rome and more attached to Jesus and the newly formed Catholic Church

• The Final nail in the Coffin will be the Barbarian Invasions further weakening the Roman Empire

Reforming Emperors

• Diocletian– Strong-willed and military minded – Realizes the empire cannot be run by one man

and splits the empire in two leaving himself in charge

– However the East is far more stable and powerful because of the connection to the Silk Road

•Constantine- Legalized Christianity in an attempt to bring unity and peace- Moved the Capital from Rome to Constantinople in the Eastern Romans Empire

Barbarian Invasions

• The first group to invade are the Germanics

• Many tribes come across the border seeking protection and the Pax Romana in exchange for military service

• However, the Romans treat them poorly and they revolt against the Empire, ending in the sacking of Rome by Alaric in 410 CE

Attila the Hun

• Attila the Hun would also attack both the Eastern and Western Empires

• Causing fear in the Empires and causing more distrust in the Roman Government and Roman People

The End

• After the defeat of Attila the Western Roman Empire continues to weaken for a number of reasons

• Finally a Germanic named Odovacar will attempt to gain power in Rome by assassinating the last Emperor of Rome Romulus Augustus

• With this the Western Roman Empire Dies, However the Eastern Roman Empire will live on until 1492 under the name “The Byzantine Empire”

The Four Legacies of Rome

1. Latin Language– The Basis for All Romantic and Educated

Language, Also the Language of the Catholic Church

2. Greco-Roman Culture– The Foundation of All Western Culture

3. Roman Architecture– The buildings still stand today and were an

inspiration for generations to come

4. Stable Government– The Basis and Model for Modern Government

and Law; Laws should be based in Reason