Answer:
There are 7 main reasons the Romans fell such as cash flow problems, the barbarians, the rise of the Byzantine empire, the mistreatment of the Germanic tribes, political instability, the rise of Christianity, and environmental factors.
Cash Flow Problem
- The Roman Empire was founded on conquering, raiding, and utilizing other nations' lands. However, by around 300 AD, the Roman Empire was experiencing serious "cash flow" issues. This was due to the fact that they were literally running out of goods and resources to use from their conquered lands, and thus had less money to invest in conquering new places.
- The Romans also relied heavily on slave labor, but with expansion slowing, they were unable to acquire new slaves and faced a major slave labor shortage.
- Taxes were raised to compensate for these declines. However, this only served to further divide the rich from the poor, and many wealthy Romans went into hiding or established separate compounds to avoid paying such high taxes.
- The Romans found it increasingly difficult to sustain such a vast and costly empire.
The Barbarians
- As seen in Barbarians Rising, both disgruntled Romans and members of Germanic tribes became 'Barbarians.' These were militia and tribes that aimed to overthrow the Romans and keep them from further invading their lands. While Barbarian Odoacer did not depose Emperor Augustus until AD 476, the Romans had been plagued by the Barbarians for many decades prior.
- Battles between the Romans and the Barbarians were costly and demoralizing for the Romans, and historians believe they heralded the end of Ancient Rome.
The Rise of the Byzantine Empire
- During the late Roman Empire, the Western and Eastern Roman Empires were purposefully divided. The Western section was centered in Milan, while the Eastern section was centered in Byzantium. Originally, Diocletian, the Roman Emperor, created this to make the vast Roman Empire easier to govern.
- It did, however, result in both sides gradually drifting apart and forming their own entities. While the west began to decline economically and geographically, the eastern section (later known as the Byzantine Empire) grew in wealth and territory.
- With such increased wealth, the eastern section was better prepared to fight off the Barbarians, who then shifted their focus to the western Empire, only increasing their vulnerability.
Mistreatment of the Germanic Tribes
- The Barbarians were not always the Romans' adversaries; in fact, they were feared far less than the Huns. In the late fourth century, the Eurasian Huns tribe began invading Northern Europe, physically forcing many Germanic tribes into the territories of the Roman Empire.
- The Romans reluctantly accepted them into their lands, but mistreated them severely, enslaving some and deliberately starving and torturing others to 'set an example' and encourage them to toe the line.
- This aided the rising Barbarians, as they were able to gather and persuade many abused Germanic tribe members to join them in their quest to demolish Rome.
Political Instability
- A slew of Roman Emperors were assassinated or replaced between 200AD and the end of the Roman Empire, resulting in a severely unstable and demoralized government system. In 293 AD, Emperor Diocletian attempted to increase stability by establishing a tetrarchy, which divided the Empire into four territories, each led by a separate emperor.
- Unfortunately, having more emperors only exacerbated rivalries and created further divisions and rifts between territories.
The Rise of Christianity
- The Romans practiced a fairly liberal religion. They introduced their Gods and religion to the new peoples they conquered, while also adding and adapting many of their own. The rise of Christianity changed everything, and as it spread across Europe, Christians rejected the traditional Roman belief that the Emperor had divine status.
- Christianity became the Roman state religion in 380 AD. Although the rise of Christianity played only a minor role in the Roman Empire's demise, it was significant because it demonstrated a significant shift away from traditional Roman values and beliefs.
Environmental Factors
- Another theory is that land was overfarmed throughout the Empire, rendering it unusable and resulting in significant crop decline. Salinization, for example, occurred, particularly in North African territories, rendering the land unsuitable for crop cultivation.
- Farming decline forced many people into Roman cities, which were not designed to house such large populations. Overcrowding became especially evident in the late Empire, resulting in widespread poor plumbing, increased disease, and even food shortages in Roman cities.