1. Review

2.   Brainstorm with a partner: What problems could cause a powerful country or empire to collapse? Do Now: 9/30/2014

3.   Decline begins when Marcus Aurelius dies in 180 AD.  His 18 year old son Commodus became emperor. From Good to Bad: Commodus’ Rule  He allowed himself to be controlled by others.  Enabled the destruction of the senate!  Relied on the strength of the army not the people.  Assassinated 192 AD.

4.   Generals established military dictatorships.  From 180 to 284 AD. Rome had 29 emperors, most were assassinated. Issue 1: Weak, Corrupt Rulers  After Commodus, rulers tended to be generals not politicians.  The government and economy became weak.  The throne was gained by violence not politics.

5.   Rome’s army used to be made of citizen soldiers. Issue 2: Mercenary Army  Had a stake in the war.  Defending their homes from invasion.  Rulers began to pay foreign soldiers for protection.  Mercenary soldiers kept the ruler in power.  Rome’s military strength to decline.  Soldiers were no longer loyal to the state of Rome.

6.   The Empire had grown too large for a single army to protect. Issue 3: Overextended Empire

7.  Animated Map of Rome

8.   The armies were too busy fighting over power in Rome to defend the territories. Issue 3: Overextended Empire  The Empire of Rome began to shrink…  Rome lost territories to invading enem ies.  Many territories declared their independence from Rome.

9.   Why was losing territories bad for Rome? Think-Pair-Share Without the territories, Rome no longer had an income. The territories gave Rome $ from taxes & trade.

10.   Loosing territories was bad for the Roman economy :  Rome relied on its territories for trade.  Less trade = less money. Conquering territories brought wealth into the empire.  This had boosted Rome’s economy.  Now the economy began to decline. Issue 4: Economic Problems

11.   Emperors struggled to pay their armies.  They raised taxes to pay the armies. Issue 4: Economic Problems  The citizens suffered from unemployment and famine.  Famine made food scarce and more expensive.  They struggled to pay the new army taxes.  To make food more affordable, the government create more coins.  This led to inflation ; Roman money was worthless.

12.  Issue 4: Economic Problems  To make food more affordable, the government create more coins.  This led to inflation ; Roman money was worthless.

13.   Some emperors attempted to stop Rome’s decline.  Diocletian  Strengthened Rome’s army, built new forts, and improved the tax system. Attempts to Stop Decline Split Rome in east & west  More manageable.  Diocletian ruled eastern half and appointed a co- emperor to rule the western half.

14.  Attempts to Stop Decline  Diocletian retires in 305AD  Rome falls into civil war.  Constantine emerges as the sole victor in 312 AD.

15.   Constantine attempted to keep the empire united.  After his death Germanic tribes (barbarians) from the north took over large sections of the empire.  Vandals & Visgoths sacked Rome in 410 and 455 AD.  Roman Emperor could not stop them. Issue 5: Invasions

16.   While the western half was invaded and taken over by the German tribes, the eastern half continued on strongly in Constantinople. Collapse of the Western Roman Empire