SECTION 9.2 The Fall of Rome

Today’s Objective What have we been looking at so far in the Roman Empire?  We have discussed what Rome was like at the height of the empire. What will discuss today?  You will be able to list and explain the factors that lead to the fall of Rome.

The Decline of Rome In AD 180 Marcus Aurelius died. His son Commodus was cruel, wasted money, and spent time fighting as a gladiator. He was killed in AD 192 by his body guard. The next 100 years was a period of spent putting out revolts and protecting the borders of Rome. The rulers knew the army was important so they paid them well, but ignored poverty and crime.

Decline of Rome: Political and Social Problems When the last of these rulers died in AD 235, Rome’s government became very weak. Army leaders kept fighting each other for the throne.  50 years = 22 different emperors Romans quit honoring the old ideals of duty, courage, and honesty. Government officials were taking bribes. Wealthy Romans quit paying taxes. People quit going to school. The slave population was massive because it was cheap labor.

The Decline of Rome: Economic and Military Problems Rome’s economy began to fall apart in the AD 200s. As the gov’t weakened, law and order broke down and people did whatever they wanted. Roman soldiers and invaders seized crops and destroyed fields. Less food=more hunger =more expensive food Economy got worse – people bought less stuff, so artisans produced less and shopkeepers lost money and many businesses closed – the number of workers dropped. Without jobs, many people had to leave and serve in the army.

The Decline of Rome: Economic and Military Problems A plague (widespread disease) spread across the land and killed 1 out of every 10 people in the empire. Rome began to suffer from inflation (rapidly increasing prices due to the loss of value of the money). People didn’t pay taxes. Rome couldn’t pay its soldiers. They didn’t put as much gold in each coin so the coin was worth as much was it had been before. ($5 coin was now only worth $3 instead).

The Decline of Rome: Economic and Military Problems When people realized the coins had less value but people were still spending them as the same coin, they raised their prices. $5 coin isn’t $5 worth of gold. It is $3 worth of gold, but you are buying $5 worth of grain. So the store owner wants to make up the $2 he is losing since he is really only getting $3 worth of gold SOOOOO, he raises the price to $7 for the grain. People responded by not using the money at all. They started to barter (exchange goods without using money).

The Decline of Rome: What were Diocletian’s Reforms? Diocletian – general who became emperor in AD 284. He knew the empire was declining so he created reforms (political changes to make things better). The empire was too big to rule so he divided it in 4 parts. He put officials to rule in these areas. He worked to boost the economy. Created rules that set the prices of goods and the wages to be paid to workers. He made workers stay in the same job until they died to make sure more products were produced. THE REFORMS DIDN’T WORK.

The Decline of Rome: Who was Constantine? Another general took over and became emperor in AD 312 named Constantine. He decided that all sons had to continue in the trades of their fathers whether workers, soldiers, or farmers. Since things were still declining in the empire in the west, he moved the capital from Rome to the east. He chose the site of the Greek city of Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople.

To Sum it Up …

Thursday, 8/14 Put your Roman Empire foldable in the box for your class period. Sit down and get out your notes we started working on yesterday.

Rome Falls Constantine died in AD337 and fighting broke out for power. A new emperor, Theodosius, took power and ended the fighting. He divided the empire with the Western Roman Empire with the capital in Rome and the Eastern Roman Empire with its capital in Constantinople.

Rome Falls: Rome is Invaded As Rome declined, it was no longer able to hold back the Germanic tribes on its borders.  Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Angles, and Saxons  These groups were looking for warmer climates and the wealth of Rome. The Huns (from Mongolia) were another group that were invading the area. They entered Eastern Europe and defeated the Ostrogoths. Fearing the Huns, the Visigoths asked Rome for protection in return for the Visigoths’ loyalty to Rome. But the empire forced the Visigoths to buy food at high prices and also kidnapped and enslaved many of their people.

Rome Falls: Rome is Invaded Fearing the Huns, the Visigoths asked Rome for protection in return for the Visigoths’ loyalty to Rome. But the empire forced the Visigoths to buy food at high prices and also kidnapped and enslaved many of their people. The Visigoths rebelled against the Romans in AD 378 beating them and forcing them Romans to surrender land to them. In AD 410, Alaric (Visigoth leader) captured Rome. Knowing that Rome couldn’t defend itself any longer, other Germanic tribes began advancing on Rome territories.

Rome Falls: Rome is Invaded The Vandals overran Spain and Northern Africa.  They enslaved some of the Roman landowners and drove others away.  Then they came to Italy and entered Rome in 455 AD. They stripped the city of everything valuable and burned them.  That’s where the word valdalize comes from.

Rome Falls By the mid-400s AD, several Germanic leaders held high posts in Rome’s government and army. AD 476 a Germanic general named Odoacer took control overthrowing a western emperor named Romulus Augustulus. This is seen as the official end of the Western Roman Empire. While the Romans were no longer in control, their ideas lived on. Their Latin language, Roman laws, and Christianity continued in Italy. The Eastern Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire and lasted another 1000 years.

So one more time…

Legacy of Rome Our world would be very different if it weren’t for the Romans. Our words, our government, architecture, and religion. Roman Ideas and Government Today  We, like the Romans, believe that all people are equal under the law.  People are innocent until proven guilty.  We believe that a republic made up of equal citizens is the best form of government.  We believe this works best if citizens do their duty, participate in government, and work to make their society better.

Legacy of Rome Roman Influence on Culture  Alphabet of the Latin language is what all the romance languages is based on.  We still admire the great works of Roman writers like Virgil, Horace, Livy, and Tacitus  We still use concrete today.  The architectural styles are used in many buildings today – arches and domes are in many of our famous public buildings. Christianity  Rome’s government began persecuting the Christians, but eventually adopted it in AD 300s and helped the new religion grow and spread.