Han and Rome Decline Comparison

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Apart from these facts, the Roman Empire also faced a great deal of problems simply because of the vast expanse of its land. Even when the emperor could expect large revenues and surpluses from the highly productive regions of the empire, and could even count on highly disciplined troops, the extensive empire still caused great problems for central governors. Also, after the third century, epidemics began to spread throughout the empire. And, the various regions of the empire began to move to local and self-sufficient economies. Because of these things, the empire became ever-increasingly unmanageable. The emperor Diocletian, who ruled the empire from 284 - 305 C.E., tried to fix the problem of the empire's manageability by dividing the empire into two separated governmental districts, or, portions; there was an eastern portion, which embraced the wealthy lands of Syria, Egypt, Anatolia, and Greece; the western portion included Italy, Gaul, Spain, Britain, and north Africa. A co-emperor and his lieutenant ruled each district. These four people, collectively known as the tetrarchs, could, theoretically, rule the empire with a greater efficiency than a single emperor. While Diocletian was co-emperor, there was a general order and a quick response to military threats. However, these reforms encouraged ambition in the co-rulers and their generals. Therefore, when Diocletian retired from power in 305 C.E., those ambitions led to internal struggles and civil war. The man who emerged out of this Civil war as the victor was Constantine, son of one of the tetrarchs, who claimed the throne of the entire Roman Empire for himself in 306 C.E., reuniting the two districts of the empire after approximately 22 years of division into two districts. Defeating most of his enemies and opposition by 313 C.E., he overcame his last rival in 324 C.E. He ordered the city of Constantinople
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