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The Fall of the Roman Empire

The Fall of the Roman Empire. Decline in Morals and Values. Crimes of violence made streets unsafe Prostitution Wasted money on lavish parties Gladiatorial combats. Weak Roman Government. Poor leaders weakened the government Frequent fights for power

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

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  1. The Fall of the Roman Empire

  2. Decline in Morals and Values • Crimes of violence made streets unsafe • Prostitution • Wasted money on lavish parties • Gladiatorial combats

  3. Weak Roman Government • Poor leaders weakened the government • Frequent fights for power • Political corruption. Many officials took bribes. • Talented people chose not to serve due to dangers of government life

  4. Agricultural Decline • High taxes caused abandoning of farms • Farmers could not compete with low prices and lost or sold their farms • Farmland destroyed by warfare • Cheap labor discouraged technology improvements • Overworked soil

  5. Social Problems • Plague (disease) spread throughout Rome, killing 1 in 10 • Famine: There was not enough food to feed people

  6. Economic Problems • Income and wages fall due to inflation and lack of work. • Wealthy Romans stop paying taxes • No taxes, no money

  7. Roman Poor • Most Romans were not rich; they lived in tenement buildings. • One-third of all Romans were slaves. • Loss of farms filled cities with unemployed people

  8. Military Spending • Maintaining an army to defend the borders from attacks was draining • Frustrated Romans lost desire to defend the Empire • Empire began recruiting soldiers from unemployed city mobs or foreign countries.

  9. Dividing the Empire • The empire was to divide it in half to save the empire. • Created two empires: • Western Empire: Europe/ North Africa • Eastern Empire: Turkey/ Asia.

  10. Christianity • Followers of Jesus spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. • Persecuted first by the Jewish People. • Nero had Christianity made a crime punishable by death.

  11. Constantine • Constantine (312 CE) united the empire again under one ruler • First Christian emperor • Stopped the persecution of Christians

  12. Rome invaded • Western Empire unable to hold off German tribes on its borders • German tribes wanted warmer area, Roman riches, and to flee the Huns

  13. The Fall • Rome was defeated in 476 CE • Western Empire was divided into many kingdoms that adopted many of the customs of Rome

  14. Eastern Roman Empire • Although the Western Empire fell in 476 CE, the Eastern Roman Empire continued to prosper for 1,000 more years • Became known as the Byzantine Empire

  15. Fall of the United States??? Give a present day example of: * Decline in Morals and Values * Political Corruption * Agricultural Decline * Inflation * Unemployment * Military Spending

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