Why did the Western Roman Empire collapse in the fifth century PDF

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HI1003 East and West: The Origins of European Identity Arts BA1 Paper 1 , Draft 1 Due date: 09 March 2018

Why did the Western Roman Empire collapse in the fifth century? The Western Roman Empire was powerful and strong, having a reign of nearly 500 years. As time passes by, countless theories (from various historians) have attempted to account for the decline of the Western Roman Empire. By 120 AD, the empire was at its largest, spanning over 2.2 million square miles. Within these grounds, were a variation of cultures, religion and languages all of whom had a common ground, paying roman taxes. A positive product of the Western Roman Empire was the building of roads and aqua ducts and most cultures living harmoniously, respecting the others beliefs. However, no matter what amount of money was collected in taxes, it was near impossible to defend such a great amount of borders. By 285 AD Rome’s emperor died of diocletian and realised it was impossible to govern it all. So it came to be that one emperor would rule from Italy, while the other rules from Byzantium . Nowadays, When we discuss and study the fall of Rome we talk primarily about when the strength of the Western Roman Empire expired. The Eastern Roman Empire continued for about 1000 years longer , which we now refer to as the Byzantine Empire. This longer reign is why some historians argue that the Roman empire did not fall when the Western Roman Empire did in the fifth century. 1

1 Heath , Peter, The Fall of the Roman Empire ,(Pan Macmillan, 30 Nov 2010, Chapter 1 ).

The most logical reason for the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, was due to the invasions of the Barbarian tribes. This whole process has been described by historians as a “domino effect” , with the Western Roman Empire taking the final fall. This chain reaction was firstly triggered when Huns and his troops attacked the east. This was followed by the East invading the goths , which tragically lead to the goths invading the Western Roman Empire,ultimately leading to its Demise. This demise really shows the impact of a “ cause and effect” relationship. “ In the following examples of cause and effect, you can say the word "because" before you read the cause, and then finish the sentence with the effect. Like this: Because Roman legions evacuated Britannia in AD 410, the Anglo-Saxons moved into Britannia. You could also say the word "so" in between the cause and effect, like this: The Huns pushed other groups westward, so the Vandals invaded Spain, north Africa, and sacked Rome.Roman legions evacuate Britannia in AD 406. (Cause).The Anglo-Saxons move into Britannia (Effect).The Huns push other groups westward, eventually into Roman territory (Cause).Aleric and the Visigoths sack Rome, AD 410 (Effect).Vandals invade Spain, north Africa, and sack Rome in AD 455 (Effect).”2 A second reason for the collapse of the Western Roman Empire , was due to a common yet serious problem that we can all relate to , economic problems. Also, the overreliance on slave labour, a maybe not so common problem nowadays but still a problem of a serious nature. Rome’s financial problems were not just due to the countless expensive wars and threats from outside predators . The financial disintegration of the Western Roman Empire was already happening inside the walls of the empire. At this time Rome was relying on high tax prices and inhumane slave labour in order to stay afloat . However , no matter how much in taxes they were charging and how many slaves were put to work, it simply was not enough to keep 2 Giotto, Barbarian Invasions of the Roman Empire, http://www.penfield.edu/webpages/jgiotto/onlinetextbook.cfm?subpage=1492781, Accessed 06/02/2018.

the empire from crumbling from within. The money tree in the back garden was clearly losing its leaves, “Constant wars and overspending had significantly lightened imperial coffers, and oppressive taxation and inflation had widened the gap between rich and poor. In the hope of avoiding the taxman, many members of the wealthy classes had even fled to the countryside and set up independent fiefdoms. At the same time, the empire was rocked by a labor deficit. Rome’s economy depended on slaves to till its fields and work as craftsmen, and its military might had traditionally provided a fresh influx of conquered peoples to put to work. But when expansion ground to a halt in the second century, Rome’s supply of slaves and other war treasures began to dry up”3. The rise of the Eastern Roman Empire , also sealed the tragic fate of the Western Roman Empire. This ultimate travesty , seems to have been written in the stars due to the division of Rome into the Western and Eastern ( would come to be known as ‘Byzantine’) Empire in the late third century. What initially seemed like an easier method of governing , soon turned out to be a failing concept that often lead to conflict between the two empires , as the “East and West failed to adequately work together to combat outside threats, and the two often squabbled over resources and military aid”. This predictably had disastrous consequences for the Western Roman Empire. While the East (under Constantine) was tactfully protected and thrived as a result , the West was poorly defended in comparison , ” Most importantly, the strength of the Eastern Empire served to divert Barbarian invasions to the West. Emperors like Constantine ensured that the city of Constantinople was fortified and well guarded, but Italy and the city of Rome—which only had symbolic value for many in the East—were left vulnerable.The Western political structure would finally 3 Andrews Evan , 8 reasons why Rome fell, Economic troubles and overreliance on slave labour,, 14/01/2014 ,http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-reasons-why-rome-fell , Accessed 08/02/2018

disintegrate in the fifth century, but the Eastern Empire endured in some form for another thousand years before being overwhelmed by the Ottoman Empire in the 1400s”4. A major contributor for the fall of the Western Roman Empire , was not just due to the mounting external threats , but the internal divisions that lied within the walls of the empire. Divisions, with their “Eastern Counterpart”. Between 316 and 476 AD there were 6 civil wars between the two. This lead to a strain in financial resources , predictably contributing to the fall of the West as “with usurpers challenging Emperors, Emperors being deposed and murdered and generals carrying out wars against each other. In addition, the West periodically tried to pursue an aggressive policy against its supposed Eastern partner, including several incursions into the Eastern Empire by the Western general Stilicho. In turn, the East often deflected barbarian armies by encouraging them to head west to afflict the Western Empire instead”5.

It has been argued , that the rise of christianity was a major contributor, to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century. The practicing of Christianity was made legal in 313 AD and later progressed its way to becoming the state religion in 380 AD. After it’s legalisation, Christianity took the place of the “polytheistic” Roman Religion. This introduction of a new beliefs system, gradually scraped away the significance of the traditional Roman beliefs system. For example, the Roman Religion “ viewed the emperor as having a divine status “ , so due to the influence of Christianity the power focal point “shifted 4 Andrews Evan , 8 reasons why Rome fell,The Rise of the Eastern Empire,, 14/01/2014 ,http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-reasons-why-rome-fell , Accessed 08/02/2018 5 Tim O’ Neill, How did the Western Roman empire collapse? What caused the fall? What events lead up to it? How long did it take? What replaced Roman law in all those places?, 14/12/2012,https://www.quora.com/How-did-the-Western-Roman-empire-collapse-What-caused-the-fallWhat-events-lead-up-to-it-How-long-did-it-take-What-replaced-Roman-law-in-all-those-places, Accessed 27/02/2018

away from the glory of the state and onto a sole deity”. This convoluted governing , as it meant that popes and priests took a fully charged,prominent role in political affairs. Although this factor may come across as pale in comparison to other inductors, it can be strongly argued that Christianity played a role in the collapse of the Western Roman Empire due to it undeniably “curbing Roman civic virtue”6. In conclusion, although there were a wide variety of factors contributing to the collapse of the Western Empire, it is often misinterpreted that it was one main factor that was the” straw that broke the camel's back”. However, it is clear from researching from a variety of sources, that it is the domino effect of all these factors , big or small , combined that truly led to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century.

Bibliography Heath , Peter, The Fall of the Roman Empire ,(Pan Macmillan, 30 Nov 2010, Chapter 1 ) Giotto, Barbarian Invasions of the Roman Empire, http://www.penfield.edu/webpages/jgiotto/onlinetextbook.cfm?subpage=1492781, Accessed 06/02/2018. Andrews Evan , 8 reasons why Rome fell, Economic troubles and overreliance on slave labour,, 14/01/2014 ,http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-reasons-why-rome-fell , Accessed 08/02/2018 Andrews Evan , 8 reasons why Rome fell,The Rise of the Eastern Empire,, 14/01/2014 6 Andrews Evan , 8 reasons why Rome fell,The Rise of the Eastern Empire,, 14/01/2014 ,http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-reasons-why-rome-fell , Accessed 24/02/2018

,http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-reasons-why-rome-fell , Accessed 08/02/2018 Tim O’ Neill, How did the Western Roman empire collapse? What caused the fall? What events lead up to it? How long did it take? What replaced Roman law in all those places?, 14/12/2012,https://www.quora.com/How-did-the-Western-Roman-empire-collapse-Whatcaused-the-fall-What-events-lead-up-to-it-How-long-did-it-take-What-replaced-Roman-lawin-all-those-places, Accessed 27/02/2018...