The Fall of the Roman Empire “The higher you go, the harder you fall”

End of Pax Romana After the death of emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperors were never talented enough to run to massive empire (180 CE) As a result of this failed leadership, the empire started to decline. Rome would never be the same size as it was when Marcus Aurelius died

Reasons for the Fall Quality of Life Decline in Morality Decrease in Military Power Political Instability Economic Contraction

Quality of Life Slaves meant there was no work on farms which led to mass migrations into cities An increase in city populations made healthy living impossible Starvation and sickness led to large scale pandemics

Urban Decay Crime rates jump when people get desperate Buildings collapse due to decay and neglect More slaves means less jobs for plebeians

Public Health Water sources become tainted which leads to the spread of cholera and other waterborne illness Healthy food is in short supply – Government can’t feed all the people Disease from rotting corpses and animals from the coliseum spread deadly diseases

Decline in Morality Morality = A society’s view of what is right and wrong The Roman people demand more and more violence to keep entertained Wealthy patricians live overly luxurious lifestyles at the cost of the poor

Decrease in Military Power Roman soldiers become undisciplined The cost to pay “Roman” soldiers was too high Numerous civil wars break out for control of empire 25 of 37 Emperors assassinated in 100 year period

New Roman Army Armies were made up of foreign mercenaries Fought for less money Not concerned about the success of Rome Soldiers refused to fight against Rome’s enemies

Political Instability Patrician class fights for control of the Roman Empire No clear way to name a successor to Roman Emperor Bribery and money bought political favors

Roman Emperors Corruption Many Roman emperors were more concerned about maintaining power than protecting the empire Spent all of Rome’s money on games and parties

Economic Contraction Hostile tribes and pirates raid Roman treasuries No new expansion meant no new gold to refill the Roman treasuries Rome raises taxes to make up for losses

New Coinage Coins could no longer be made of pure gold or silver Shop keepers wanted more to make up for lack of gold and silver left out of coins Prices for everyday items skyrocketed (Inflation)

Attempted Reform Few emperors tried to stop the decline of Rome’s power Legalism is temporarily effective Kept Rome together for an additional 200 years

Split of Rome To help maintain control of Rome, Emperor Diocletian (284 CE) divides Rome into two parts East (Greek Speaking) West (Latin Speaking) Constantine moves the Roman capital to “Constantinople”

East Becomes Superior The eastern part of the Roman Empire becomes the better side Western Rome declines as barbaric tribes invade Western Empire is controlled more and more by the church

The Western Empire Crumbles Germanic tribes gain power and invade Western Rome from the north Superior military technology The Huns attack in 370 CE Came from the Mongols Huns attack the north forcing non-Romans to flee into Roman lands

Barbarians Become Barely Barbaric Barbarians adapt military techniques more superior than the Romans The spread of Christianity gives the barbarians more confidence against Rome Multiple barbaric tribes attack Rome successfully

Conclusion Western Roman Empire crumbles with the last emperor in 476 CE Eastern Roman Empire is renamed the Byzantine Empire and flourishes for an additional 1000 years (Ends in 1453 CE)

Progression of Western Civ. Rome left behind a roots of Western Civ. Roman Catholic Church Latin Language Master Builders Roman Law Preservation of the Greek culture

Fall of Rome Exit Ticket List the 5 themes that summarize the fall of the Roman Empire: Of these 5 themes, which do you believe was the most influential in causing the fall of the Roman Empire? (Explain in a paragraph or two why this theme was more influential than the other themes.)