The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

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The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire June 17, 2012 Liberty University HIEU 201 The Roman Empire was at one time the most powerful empires in the world. Although this empire was once powerful, many events took place that caused the fall and decline of the Roman Empire. Rome’s republican institution which was designed for city-state, proved incapable of coping with the problems that were created by the conquest of a world empire (Perry et al, 2009). According to the presentation “Roman Empire,” the decline and fall of the Roman Empire was a long slow process with one problem leading to another in a downward spiral. 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. For over centuries, historians have argued about why the Roman Empire fell. Our textbook Western Civilization breaks the reasons into four categories which include the role of Germanic tribes, spiritual, political and military and economic conditions. According to Perry et al. (2009), at the death of Marcus Aurelius in A.D. 180, the Empire was politically stable, economically prosperous, and military secure. The ordered civilization of Pax Romana ended in the third century. This disruption was caused by the Roman Empire being plunged into military anarchy that was raided by Germanic tribes, and was burdened
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