How Did The Western Roman Empire Decline

The Western Roman Empire slowly declined over approximately 320 years and which many historians believe it had finally ended on the 4th September 476, when Romulus Augustus, the last Emperor of the Western Roman Empire was overthrown by Odoacer, who was a Germanic chieftain. However, there are many historians who question the relevance of this date and the theory of whether the empire declined or transformed, as the successful Ostrogoths considered themselves as supporters of Roman traditions. According to Gibbon he believed that ‘the Eastern Roman Empire was going from strength to strength and continued until the Fall of Constantinople on May 29, 1453.’ Which suggests that there was a gradual transformation. Many academics maintain that

The idea of the divide was to make the empire easier to govern for a short period, but over time the two empires drifted further apart. The East and West failed to work together collectively to combat the outside threats that Italy faced, the two empires frequently disagreed over resources and the military aid. As time went on the Eastern Empire grew in wealth while the West inclined into an economic crisis. Most importantly, the strength of the Eastern Empire served to divert Barbarian invasions to the West and Emperors like Constantine ensured that the city of Constantinople was encouraged and well-guarded, but Italy and the city of Rome were left vulnerable. The Western political structure would finally collapse 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. The Roman Empire stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Euphrates River in the Middle East, but its magnificence may have also been its road to decline. Due to is large ground it became much more difficult to govern and the empire faced an administrative and logistical nightmare. Although the Romans built excellent road systems, the Romans were not able to communicate quickly or effectively enough to manage their territories. The western Roman empire struggled to gather and train enough troops and resources to defend the frontiers from local rebellions and outside attacks. As more and more funds were funnelled into the military upkeep of the empire, technological advancement slowed and Rome’s civil infrastructure fell into disrepair. The Western part of the empire was becoming militarily