The fall of Rome and the end of the Roman empire

THE FALL OF ROME: THE END OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

The causes and consequences of the fall of the Roman Empire in the west have been always matter of speculation and argument.

Historians have been questioned whether there was such a phenomenon as fall, but perhaps the empire just gradually disappeared. However, it is obvious that in the political and military context, something happened in the fifth century AD.

For the first time, the Romans were unable to drive German invaders out of the western part of the empire. As early as AD 406, large areas of Gaul, Spain and North Africa were out of the emperor's control, and by 430, the western emperor ruled in name only.
However, the eastern, greek speaking part of the empire survived for centuries. This " Byzantine empire" did not finally fall until the Turks took Constantinople in 1453, although it was temporarily in the hands of Crusaders from the west in the thirteenth century.
In the fifth century, then, the western Roman Empire could no longer defend itself against invaders. For strategic and military reasons, including the breakdown in communications, lack of resources, and bad generalship, Rome was beaten in battle and the old empire collapsed as a political entity.

German rulers replaced the emperor, and the empire was divided into several german kingdoms. Despite revolutionary political change, however, it is fairly clear that the social and political institutions and the culture of the late empire did not vanish, but were replaced only gradually over the next two centuries. Modern historians regard the fall of Rome not as a single military disaster, but as the consequence of a long-range internal process. Most historians believe that the collapse was not a german triumph, but merely the final chapter of the decline of Rome.

The roman empire collapsed under its own weight

It grew too vast to be supported by its institutions, communications, education, resources and legal structure. Managing the roman empire was an enormous, exhausting task that demanded constant attention and hard work.
Another reason why the Roman empire ended is because of Christianity. With its ethic, Christianity distracted the Roman elite from the problems of the empire, which could be solved only by intense and continuous application. Also the church deprived the empire of its natural leaders, as able and educated men chose to become bishops and abbots, rather than imperial governors.
We also know that from the fourth century AD the population of the empire declined markedly, perhaps by 20 per cent between AD 250 and 400, primarily because of a great outbreak of bubonic plague. The decline in population shrank the markets, reduced the volume of trade, diminished international exchange and weakened the relashionship of various parts of the empire.

Another factor in the decline of Rome was slavery: the empire rose and fell as a slave society. It is argued that Rome's failure to develop an industrial technology caused economic disintegration and that this failure was a direct result of slavery. For the first two centuries AD, Romans could rely on slave power for all their needs, and this reliance inhibited technological change. After 200, with the end of the wars of conquest, there was a severe shortage of manpower, but by the time this shortage became critical, it was too late to industrialize.