the maintenance of the army and of the vast bureaucracy required by a centralized government…the expense led to strangling taxation.” The results of the decline of the economy were military debt, unemployment, famine, and bad living conditions.
Loyalty was an enormous problem. In the past, Romans cared so deeply about their republic that they happily sacrificed their lives for it. Later on the conditions in the empire caused citizens to lose their sense of patriotism. According to Document 1
“The basic trouble was that very few inhabitants of the empire believed that
the old civilization was worth saving … the overwhelming majority of the
population had been systematically excluded from political responsibilities.” In the 200s however, local officials usually lost money because they were required to pay for the costly public expenses out of their own pockets. Few people chose to serve the government under those conditions. Only the armies remained interested in politics.
There was a lack of Roman soldiers therefore; foreigners filled in their spots called mercenaries who fought for money. Based on Document 5 “The military crisis was the result of…proud old aristocracy’s…shortage of children. (Consequently)
Foreigners poured into the…Roman army [was] composed entirely of
Germans” They were not loyal to Rome because it was not their country and belonging. According to Document 6 “In 476 B.C Barbarians invaded Rome. Spain belonged to the Visigoths, North Africa to the Vandals. Gaul was overrun Franks, and Visigoths. Britannia was invaded by Angles and Saxons, Huns took over present day Hungary, the North men took over the Northern part of Europe”. The shortage of soldiers made it easier for the barbaric tribes to take over parts of Rome.
In the third century A.D the Western Roman Empire declined because of increased poverty, citizens lost their sense of patriotism, and there were few soldiers in the army. The problems came both from within the empire and from outside. The internal decay was the business dropped and most of the Romans became unemployed. Also, there wasn’t any loyalty to Rome and the government. The external problems were there was a lack of Roman soldiers therefore; foreigners filled in their spots called mercenaries who fought for money and it resulted in barbaric invasions.
Outline
Body: paragraphs:
Thesis: In the third century A.D the Western Roman Empire declined because of increased poverty, citizens lost their sense of patriotism, and there were few soldiers in the army.
Introduction: In 509 B.C. the Romans drove out the Etruscans in the Italian peninsula and took over. Rome had already grown from a group of small villages to a small city. It had established a new government and called it a Republic “a thing of people.” Sooner it developed into a large Empire by taking over Greece, Asia Minor, Macedonia in the east and Carthage in the west. In the third century A.D the Western Roman Empire declined because of increased poverty, citizens lost their sense of patriotism, and there were few soldiers in the army.
Conclusion: In the third century A.D the Western Roman Empire declined because of increased poverty, citizens lost their sense of patriotism, and there were few soldiers in the army. The problems came both from within the empire and from outside. The internal decay was the business dropped and most of the Romans became unemployed. Also, there wasn’t any loyalty to Rome and the government. The external problems were there was a lack of Roman soldiers therefore; foreigners filled in their spots called mercenaries who fought for money and it resulted in barbaric invasions.
Document Based Questions
Document 1
1. What were the basic problems facing the Western Roman Empire
according to the authors?
The problems facing the Western Roman Empire according to these authors was poor Economy, corruption of goverment & lack of soldiers
Document 2
2. According to the excerpt from Gibbon, what were two causes for the
fall of Rome? Explain both.
Expert Gibbon states that two causes for the fall of Rome was the population growth also, Christianity made Romans less violent & the military spirit was down.
Document 3
3a. What economic issues does Muller identify as causes for decline?
Explain.
The economic issues Muller identify as causes for decline is the Farmers became unemployed and major parts of the population were farmers.
3b. How was slavery a cause for the decline of the Roman Empire?
Slavery is a cause of the decline of the Roman Empire because the rich who employ jobs pay less to the slaves for farming then the farmers and the rich make a profit while the farmers are left unemployed.
4a. Why did the Roman government have large expenses?
The Roman government has large expenses because they had to pay for the maintenance of the army.
4b. What was the effect of high taxation on the people?
The effect of high taxation on the people resulted in people leaving their jobs in their farms & businesses.
4c. What effect did the establishment of a government welfare system
have on the people?
The establishment of a government welfare system made the people weak and being dependent on the government.
5. What does this author identify as the cause of problems in the military?
The causes of the problems in the military was that he army was full of Germans not Romans and the Germans weren’t patriotic for Rome.
6a. According to the map above, what was the cause of the fall of the
Roman Empire?
The cause of the fall of Roman Empire was Barbaric invasions.
6b. Was this a unified attack? This wasn’t a unified attack
