The Roman Empire and Han China both went through major declines. The weak central government in both empires played a big role in their decline. Throughout their decline, religion remained as a continuity. However, because they each had different militaries, Rome was affected the most negatively. Invasions hit both empires hard.
The downward spiral began with the degeneration of the army that weaken the defenses and made them more vulnerable to Germanic invasions. These invasions led to economic disruptions which combined with other deteriorating conditions led the Roman’s to look increasingly to mystery cults and reject the rational thought of the Greeks. The presentation points out that as economic disruptions continued to deteriorate Rome’s fate was sealed. The date that is assigned to the final demise of the Roman Empire is A.D. 476 when a Germanic emperor was placed on the throne. The presentation reminds us that only the western part of the empire fell.
Documents state that the citizens of Rome felt as if they did not have a say in politics. This caused them to feel specific ways about the empire. The empire began to struggle with military and tax problems but the people did not believe that Rome was worth helping. Rome's government did not help organize and protect people. Most citizens were serfs and farmers who survived on their own.
A balance of trade deficit began to occur. The cost of government, including the military and welfare, became burdensome.Class economic warfare broke out between the rich and poor.Parts of the empire were not taxed whileothers were overtaxed. The small farm all but disappeared. D. Political Causes.The Romans never really solved the problem of succession. The government was not designed to rule a large,polyglot empire and reform came too late.
It was composed of Octavian, Marc Antony, and Lepidus. The Republic was divided into two with Octavian governing the west and Anthony the east. Lepidus was pushed out of the picture as the two of leaders made this agreement of a split Rome. Eventually breaking out into civil war, Octavian defeated Antony at the battle of Actium in 31 BC. Octavian was in total control of Rome after Antony and Cleopatra both committed suicide.
Most of Rome’s currency was silver coins and as a result of the empire not gaining any more wealth from plundering and looting from conflicts they reduced the amount of silver used in the coins. Because of this roman citizens were charging higher prices for items so they would be receiving the same amount of silver. Inflation was not the empires only concern with the economy. The defense of the empire was very expensive and Rome also needed to maintain an active military, as a result Rome raised taxes that the average roman citizen could not afford.” The maintenance of the army and of the vast bureaucracy required by centralized government lead to strangling taxation” (The New Deal in Old Rome). Even with the raised taxes it could not provide enough money to maintain the empire.
Like most governments, the Western Bureaucracy was corrupted and inefficient. Constant feuds and civil wars were happening within the government for power. That helped the Roman state and the grip that they had over the land. The West received far less of the wealthy provinces. With this it decreased taxes collected and kept them from being able pay troops.
The Fall of Rome and it’s Reasoning The primary reasons for the “fall” of Rome were factors such as foreign invasions, several natural disasters, and the rulers. The Roman Empire was the most powerful Empire during the classical era. It is traditionally considered to have “fallen” in 476 CE, when Rome’s last emperor had died. Rome wasn’t destroyed in a day. The fall of the Roman Empire was partially caused by foreign invasions.
Cities and roads built by the Romans disappeared and Roman laws were no longer obeyed. Luckily, the Eastern Roman Empire which was known as the Byzantine Empire still preserved some traditions. One of the largest factors that contributed to the fall of the Western Empire was the political side of it. There were hardly any efficient emperors before the fall of Rome. In fifty years, twenty six emperors ruled.
The ramifications of Rome’s expansions and rise to power were the inevitable fall of the republic and rise of the empire. Although other factors contributed to the fall of the republic, such as the reign of Julius Caesar, most of the reasons for this monumental switch are rooted in the Punic Wars. As the boundaries of Rome’s jurisdiction spread over the Mediterranean in the second and third century BCE, the senate proved to be inept at adjusting its method of governing. Richard Edwin Smith explains in The Failure of the Roman Republic that Rome, by means of the Punic Wars, became a powerful state in the Mediterranean world without fully realizing it. While Rome may have grown during this period, he says, “there was no change in her mental outlook to correspond to her changed position” (Smith, 50).