Have you ever wondered why you hear of ancient Rome and Greece, but they’re no longer there today? This is because those societies fell, or their government collapsed beyond hope of repair. Civilizations fall for many reasons, and often for a lot of different reasons at once. Some elements led to falls more than others. The cardinal causes of the collapse of great societies are political corruption, failing economy, and foreign invasion.
The first main way societies fell was from political corruption. A good example of a misguided government was in the French Revolution. While Marie Antoinette was frolicking in a field of perfumed sheep pretending to be a shepherdess and Louis XVI was getting involved in far off wars, their people were starving. While this was happening, “. . .the peasants were acutely aware of their situation and were less and less willing to support the anachronistic and burdensome feudal system” (The French Revolution Encyclopaedia Britannica 1). This means that the citizens knew about the random spending of their rulers, and didn’t want it to go on. They eventually revolted and started the French Revolution, causing the death of the royals and thousands of others. Another example of an unethical ruling body is the Praetorian Guard in Ancient Rome. Beginning as a military group to protect the emperor, the Praetorian Guard evolved into a powerful gang of soldiers who had the power to elect and dispose of emperors. They sold off the historic throne for money, and, “. . .proclaimed from the ramparts of their camp that the throne of the world would be sold at auction to the highest bidder” (The Praetorian Guard 1). This quote proves that the Praetorian Guard became corrupt, and only cared about themselves and mo...
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"How the French Revolution Worked." HowStuffWorks. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. .
"Praetorian Guard." Praetorian Guard. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. .
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "French Revolution (1787-99)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. .
"Why Did Hitler Hate Jews?" Why Did Hitler Hate Jews? Web. 18 Mar. 2014. .
"The Rise and Fall of Ancient Greece." Historical Articles and Illustrations » Blog Archive ». N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
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What can cause a strong empire to fall? Rome is known for having many achievements that have helped to advance culture such as, aqueducts, irrigation systems, and trade. They also helped improve the structure of cities by plotting them in grids which are still used today. Also, religions were taken very seriously. In fact, it got so serious that rulers insisted that they were to be worshiped as the god. Religion was a huge part of Rome’s structure. But when conflicts of religions surfaced, failure rose. Religion may not seem like a huge issue, but actually, it is one of the biggest problems known in history. This along with poor leaders and urban decay has contributed to the decline of Rome.
the French Revolution. Hunt, Lynn & Censer, Jack. University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press (2001)
Hunt, Lynn and Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein and Bonnie G. Smith. “ The Greek golden age,” in the making of the west volume 1 to 1750 2012, edited by Denise B. Wydra, 75-108. Boston: Beford/St. Martin’s, 2012.
Beginning in mid-1789, and lasting until late-1799, the French Revolution vastly changed the nation of France throughout its ten years. From the storming of the Bastille, the ousting of the royal family, the Reign of Terror, and all the way to the Napoleonic period, France changed vastly during this time. But, for the better part of the last 200 years, the effects that the French Revolution had on the nation, have been vigorously debated by historian and other experts. Aspects of debate have focused around how much change the revolution really caused, and the type of change, as well as whether the changes that it brought about should be looked at as positive or negative. Furthermore, many debate whether the Revolutions excesses and shortcomings can be justified by the gains that the revolution brought throughout the country.
There is no doubt that there are many different reasons and theories for the collapse of Bronze Age Greece and it maybe just a combination of many or all of these. In our research, we came to the conclusion that the Roman conquest of Greece after the battle of Corinth, the Hellenistic period with the expansion of power into the Middle East, Roman Greece period, general depopulation of the urban areas, Dorian invasion, and natural disasters all had an influence in the collapse of Bronze Age Greece.
Kreis, Steven. "Lecture 12: The French Revolution - Moderate Stage, 1789-1792." The History Guide -- Main. 13 May 2004. Web. 03 Nov. 2011. .
The French Revolution was one of the most violent and chaotic events in history. It took place in France from 1789 to 1795. The end result was a good one, with France’s government being transformed from an oppressive monarchy, to a nationalist state that stood for freedom, equality, and unalienable rights. The process, however, is the interesting part.
Martin, Thomas R.. Ancient Greece : From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times. New Haven, CT, USA: Yale University Press, 2000. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 31 January
One of the most common causes of the decline of an empire results from having weak military power and martial spirit. In order for an empire to be successful, that empire must present a strong will to fight or sacrifice property and life in order to defend its state. If an empire does not possess this characteristic, it often will quickly diminish. For example, the Roman Empire became successful because of the willingness of the males to defend the state. Shortly after, the males lost their willingness to defend and the empire had to recruit unreliable mercenaries to fight in war. Unlike the successful army of the past, these mercenaries did not have true loyalty to Rome. Because of constant warfare, the Romans had heavy military spending. The Roman Empire had become too large to control effortlessly. Families and soldiers in parts of the Roman Empire adopted local customs. The Roman Empire was made up not only of natives from the Italian peninsula, but it was also made up of barbarians from the conquered lands. The barbarians were very knowledgeable when it came to Roman warfare and military tactics. Corruption became widespread throughout the Em...
"Unhandled Exception." Ancient Greece - History, Mythology, Art, War, Culture, Society, and Architecture. 2008. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .
The Roman Empire originated in 27 BC and quickly became one of the largest and most prosperous empires that has ever set foot on Earth. At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched nearly 3,000 miles from east to west and nearly 2,000 miles from north to south, with its total land area approximately one-half of the United States. However, by 476 AD, the Roman Empire had started to crumble to the ground. There were many causes that had led to the fall of Rome, but one particular cause, out of the rest, contributed most to the fall of Rome. Political problems were the most instrumental in the fall of the Roman Empire. Rome’s enormous empire, inefficient and corrupt leadership, and rivalries over succession to the throne were key political factors that led to the collapse of the Roman Empire.
Nardo, Don. A. The French Revolution. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1999. Print.
Political institutions serve as one of the integral components for the foundation of civilization. The break down of governments can rot the core of a country and cause severe global issues. Several instances of broken down political institutions, ranging from Egypt to Uganda, has lead to massive corrosion of civilizations, and has disturbed the functioning peace within many countries. The weakenging, or full on collapse of an institution can leave the country crippled, and will open up the opportunity for there to be massive corruption and greed. If a political system does not have checks and balances, and the citizens are not kept satisfied, then breakdown is investable. The corrosion of government acts as a spark for many issues, in
The French Revolution, which occurred from 1789 to 1799, was a time where the monarchy was overthrown, a republic was formed, and limits were put on the church. The French Revolution ended with the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799. The French Revolution created France’s legislative assembly, which is still in place today. Many would argue that the Enlightment was a cause of the French Revolution, but the Enlightment was not one of the main drivers for the Revolution. The bad living conditions, France’s monarchy, and the involvement in the American Revolution and other wars caused the French Revolution.
Although this definition can vaguely describe the overall fall of most civilizations, the actual details are more finite. One such event would be an environmental change. Archaeologists use this as a reason for the decline of civilizations often because it fits so well into any situation. A terrifying earthquake, a change in flow of a vital river, and a volcanic eruption are examples of what could have happened to abruptly end a civilization. Another reason might be over use of natural resources. As civilizations grew, the need for more resources increased. They could not grow enough food to support the growing population, and as a result trade networks fell apart, people began to starve, and large epidemics spread. Also many of these civilizations based everything on ideology. They believe that their rulers were gods on earth, so when these devastating things started happening, they lost faith in their ruler. Building temples, making statues of their kings, redistributing their goods, and the following of rulers all ceased. The accumulation of all these factors resulted in decline.