Fall of Roman Empire

1. Fall of Roman Empire

2. Weakening Army • The Empire needed a strong army to protect its borders. • Rome hired MERCENARIES, paid soldiers, from other provinces o protect Rome. These soldiers did not care about Rome. • Soldiers want more pay. • Emperors were greedy. • Powerful generals kept fighting among themselves about who should be the next emperor. • This fighting caused Rome to have at least 23 emperors in 73 years. All but one were assassinated.

3. Weakened Army • Loyalty once again went to the general not to Rome. • Tribes were attacking from the borders. • No foreign army soldiers were promoted to general, which caused them to turn and attack Rome. • The defenses of the empire were strong on the edges but weak in the middle. • Once tribes broke through the defenses of the boarders it was easy to keep going.

4. Smaller Population • Warfare, famine, a declining birthrate, and plagues reduced the population from 50 million to 30 million in 200 years. • Fewer people meant fewer soldiers for the army. • Fewer people meant fewer farmers to grow food. • Fewer people meant less tax money collected. • Armies were not large enough to defend the empire. • Roads and bridges were not repaired which slowed down travel and trade.

5. Raising Taxes • Government raised taxes to crippling levels • To pay for stopping rebellions in the provinces and defending the borders. • The borders were costing more and more to defend. • Many citizens went broke. • Poor people were driven to crime. • Gov’t. forced people to repair roads and bridges without pay. • Taxes were increased for some people 1/3 of their income went to taxes.

6. Declining Farms and Cities • Revolts destroyed large areas of farming and killed many farmers. • Heavy taxes drove farmers out of business. • Many farmers left their land to make money in the army. • Harvests declined causing food shortages.

7. Declining Economy • Diocletian divided the empire into east and west to make it easier to rule. • He fixed prices for goods and services to try to slow down INFLATION, the rapid rise of prices. • The western empire could not rely upon trade, food, financial or military from the east. • All resources were produced in the east. • The west was dependant on the east. • Wealth in the western empire dried up when no new lands were gained.

8. Loss of Confidence • People began thinking only of their needs and security. • People began neglecting their responsibility for service to the empire. • Many Roman citizens began to rebel against their rulers. • People felt that the decaying empire was not worth defending.