The Fall of the Roman Empire

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Recommended: Factors that led to the fall of the Roman empire

Several factors that contributed to the fall of Rome are the spread of Christianity, military decay, and economic factors. There was not one main event that occurred, and resulted with the collapse. There was a combination of many small issues that led up to this big event. There are numerous opinions on what actually caused the fall of Rome. Many people say that it was natural or inevitable. Others say that they are astounded that it lasted so long. Although most agree that Rome was doomed to fall eventually, it is impossible to pinpoint one, exact cause that led to Rome’s fall.

Christianity was a part in the decline of the Roman Empire. It was not the main contributor, but it did have a big influence on the decline. The spread of Christianity was very slow. This was because their belief in one god was outshined by the Romans belief in many gods. The traditional gods of the Romans were Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, Juno, and Minerva. These gods made up the pantheon. The Romans also worshiped personal and household spirits, such as the lares and the manes. The lares were known to keep the house safe. The manes were the spirits of your ancestors that (which?) passed away.

The Christian leaders stressed the importance of moral behavior, laws on marriage, slave trading, and sinning. This brought many changes to the Roman Empire. There were many laws passed that were new to the people and made it difficult for the people to follow. The difficulty level did not stop the people from _____. They found Christianity very inspiring.

The outcome of Christianity was thought to unite the people, not cause severe damage. Christianity’s control grew greatly and rapidly and this minimized the power of the empire. The church leader’s power increas...

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...o the people below them, and so on. The people of Rome were divided into classes, and whatever class you were in, you stayed in. In a strong non-feudal society, motivated workers are essential. Therefore, citizen’s ranks are always accommodating to how hard they work. But in a feudalistic system, ones rank will never be changed; therefore, there is no motivation to encourage the workers to perform well.

Bibliography

Books

1. Cary, M. and Scullard, H.H. A history of Rome, down to the reign of Constantine.(Third edition) New York, St. Martin’s press

2. Nardo, Don. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. U.S.A

Websites

1. “What Caused the Fall of the Roman Empire?”

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081210204946AAWwOKm

2. Gill, N.S. “Reasons for the Fall of Rome.” http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/fallofrome/tp/022509FallofRomeReasons.htm

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