1. The Fall of the Western Empire
Chapter 7 Section 6
The Fall of the
Western Empire

2. Troubled Times Arise
After Marcus Aurelius died in 180AD the empire quickly slid into crisis.
Invaders threatened the borders and civil war tore at the empire
The defense of frontiers and civil war were costly. As a result there was a shortage of silver. Silver coins contained very little actual silver, so merchants had to raise prices.
{the rise in prices due to devalued money is called inflation}

4. Two Able Emperors Attempt Reform
Diocletian, a general in the Roman army, was made emperor in A.D. 284
He appointed a co-emperor and 2 Caesars because of the realization that the empire was too large for one person to rule alone
He ruled the East and the co-emperor ruled the West
They were able to drive out the invading tribes
Diocletian and his co-emperor retired leaving the Caesars to become co-emperors with their sons as the new Caesars

5. Continued….
When the western emperor died his son Constantine took his place as emperor
The eastern emperor refused to recognize Constantine and the divided rule failed
Civil war broke once again
In the end Constantine won and became sole emperor in A.D. 324
After Constantine died the empire remained stable but the government was inefficient and corrupt.
{As the western empire grew weaker, the eastern empire became the center of power and wealth}

7. The Final Invasions
Although Diocletian and Constantine were able to hold the empire together through effort and reforms the threat of invasion from the north and east was never gone
The most troublesome of the invaders were the {German tribes called the Goths} and the Vandals who were fleeing the advancing Huns
In the shadow of defeat, Rome allowed the Goths to settle in the empire, in return for the Goths joining the Roman army
But is was not enough, the Visigoths took Rome and the Vandals took N. Africa then moved on to Rome

8. Continued…
The Huns, nomadic people from Asia, then took the opportunity to move in
Led by Attila the Huns launched an attack on Gaul
Attila was defeated by an army of Romans and Visigoths but it was too late to save the Western Roman Empire
A barbarian commander overthrew Romulus Augustulus, the last Roman emperor in the West

9. Attila

10. Causes of the Decline
The most obvious cause for the collapse of the empire was the German invasions
But also {the Western empire suffered from rapid and abundant growth} in an age of slow transportation
Rome tried to control this vast area with the same government designed to rule a city-state. It did not work

11. More Causes of Decline
Strains on the economy were also a cause for the fall of the empire
Heavy taxes crushed the citizens and the taxes still could not provide enough money
Because the empire was no longer expanding it did not have the in-pour of gold and goods that were plundered
As the empire grew so did the number of poor citizens and these citizens lost their patriotism

12. Review the rise in prices due to devalued money is called?
As this empire became weaker, the eastern empire became the center of power and wealth
What were the German tribes called?
Who did the Romans fear would lead to an uprising?

13. This is a deep sea Frilled Shark found off the coast of Japan by a fisherman. Although not a new discovery they are very rare. It resembles an eel but because of its gills is classified as a shark.