why did the roman empire fall when it had so much domination? they revolutionised so much
In: 76
It was a combination of factors:
1. Attacks by tribal powers, in particular the Germanic tribes like the Goths and the Vandals who sacked Rome itself. Rome suffered several military losses and these took their toll.
2. Economic problems. All the fighting was funded with high taxes. It created a lot of inequality and several rich people left Rome and set up private fiefdoms. They were reliant on slave labour, and as the empire ceased to expand, the supply of fresh slaves from conquered lands dried up.
3. Late in the third century, the empire was divided in two. The eastern empire began to gain power and the two halves of the empire didn’t cooperate with one another.
4. They had over expanded, and this vast empire meant communication was slow, lots of money had to be spent on the army to try to keep control over it and diverted money from technological development.
5. Political corruption and instability led to 20 different emperors within the span of a mere 75 years. Ordinary citizens lost trust in the senators and emperors.
6. The Huns invaded northern Europe, driving many of the Germanic tribes south, creating famine and instability for those tribes.
7. Christianity was spreading, providing an alternative culture and binding force to that of the Roman empire.
8. The army got weaker as they couldn’t recruit enough Roman citizens into it and started to depend on mercenaries.
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