8 causes of the DECLINE of the Roman Empire

He Roman empire It was one of the greatest civilizations in the history of humanity, being the greatest cause of Western thought, and therefore being the basis of our civilization. But, like everything in this life, the Roman Empire had an end and in this lesson from a Teacher we are going to analyze the causes of the decline of the Roman Empire.

To understand the reasons that led to the decline of one of the great empires in history we must talk about when the event that brought the end of civilization took place. We must keep in mind that we are talking about the Decline of the Western Roman Empire since the eastern part remained for many more years, transforming over the years into Byzantium.

The fall of the Western Roman Empire tends to place in 476 AD. c., at which time the last of the emperors of Rome, Romulus Augustus, was deposed at the hands of the barbarian peoples. On this date the barbarians finally entered the city of Rome and destroyed the capital of the largest empire in the world.

We must keep in mind that although 476 is used as the date of the end of the Roman Empire, the reality is that it was the result of a long process in which a large number of events occurred, which caused the irremediable end of civilization Roman.

The fall of the Roman Empire was so great that it is used to mark the passage from the Ancient Age to the Middle Ages, since society changed forever after the Roman fall, emerging a new model of the medieval system.

The decline of the Roman Empire was a very long process, with many changes, produced by a changing world, and by the increasingly complicated management of the enormous territory that made up the Roman Empire. Therefore, in this lesson from a Teacher we must talk about the main causes of the decline of the Roman Empire listing the reasons that led to the end of this civilization.

Confrontation between the Senate and the emperor

Since the change from Republic to Empire, in Rome the supreme ruler had been the emperor, causing the Senate to have less power than in previous times in Rome. The idea is that the Senate was a consultative body, with almost no power, but the continuous corrupt emperors caused the senators to confront the emperors each time, causing a serious crisis of power within from Rome.

Widespread corruption

As the years went by, corruption in high positions was increasing, with senators carrying out actions only to enrich themselves, even though this brought serious problems to the Romans. On the other hand, the Praetorian Guard, which was the emperor's bodyguard, also became corrupt. as the years passed, causing them to be able to depose the emperor and place another in his position. At one point in Roman history, the Praetorian Guard was the most powerful body in all of Rome.

The expansion of Rome

For much of its history, Rome had wanted to expand to all corners of the world, trying to reach dominate the entire world, but as the centuries went by they began to see that this could be a serious problem for many reasons. It was increasingly difficult to expand, defend the borders, and each conquered barbarian town became a problem due to the hatred they generated for the Romans. At one time the Roman Empire occupied many lands, but the populations of many of them hated the Romans, causing continuous revolts.

constant wars

At no point in its history did Rome know how to stop fighting, having military expenses that were too high, and with very few moments of peace throughout its history. At one point the need for troops was so high that the Romans had to hire the conquered barbarians as mercenaries, causing their enemies to be within their own army.

High inflation and economic problems

The Roman economy had been on the verge of bankruptcy for years, due to the high prices that the Empire needed to maintain itself. At the same time, the population had problems living, due to high taxes and high inflation that made it difficult for them to have money to buy food. This whole situation led to the point that the Roman currency was completely devalued, and other towns came to trade with the Romans through barter.

A lot of unemployment

The large number of slaves in Rome, many of them arising from the conquests, meant that they did not there would be work for Roman citizens, since most jobs were in the hands of the slaves. Citizens could not live without working, and began to depend on state money, causing Rome to not generate money from taxes to support itself.

Christianity

Many historians consider the Christianity as one of the main causes of the decline of Rome, since they consider that religion totally changed the way in which the Roman population faced life. The new Romans were more peaceful and less fearful of death, causing them to be less belligerent.

Barbarian Invasions

The greatest presence of barbarian tribes in the Roman armies, and that many of them hated Rome, caused these towns to attack more and more. Rome, being the main people responsible for the taking of the city and, therefore, the end of the Roman Empire of West.