Decline And Fall Of Roman Empire Essay

The Roman Empire was beginning to crumble despite the 200 year period of peace and prosperity they had encountered (Pax Romana). As Rome spiraled into ruin, leaders and reformers alike did attempt to halt the erosion of the empire by tinkering with the currency and setting fixed prices on goods, which may have sped up the destruction. The question is, what exactly was responsible for the decline and fall of Rome? Though some may argue that the decline and 'fall' of the Roman Empire was caused by the invasions of barbarian tribes beyond the weakening borders (Andrews), this aspect of ruin mainly affected western Rome. What truly brought the Roman Empire crashing down was the gradual accumulation of the disloyalty from its military (this loyalty

The Roman economy heavily relied on slave labor, and this put many small businesses and farmers out of business. The wealthier patricians that owned these slaves grew richer and so the gap between the rich and poor citizens grew. The empire, so large already, gradually halted in its expansion which ceased the import of more slaves causing the decline of Rome's primary agricultural workforce. Now, this was a problem. The support of the Roman economy was degrading, and there wasn't enough cash flowing in than what had already flown out (“The Fall of Rome”). The government is relentless and unwavering with his taxation policy, to the point where it drove Roman citizens to starvation and bankruptcy. These people fled Rome where tax collectors couldn't reach them. Not only that, the Roman government tinkered with the money itself, debasing their coins by using less precious metals and replacing them with cheaper copper. The purpose of this move was to have the power to make more money in circulation (by using cheaper materials) while maintaining the face value, which gives the government more spending power (“Us”). However, eventually the Roman citizens caught on to the deceit and demanded they be paid more to compensate for their work and services. Inflation skyrocketed and Rome plummeted into an economic