The Fall Of The Western Roman Empire
In the fifth century CE, controversially the biggest event to ever baffle historians occurred- the collapse of the Roman Empire that vastly controlled much of Europe. Rome took Europe by force in its prime; it had the strongest militia, believed they had the holiest emperor and adopted religious toleration. For years, historians could not figure out how such a massive empire could crumble nearly just as fast as it came to power. At its peak, the Roman Empire itself covered what are now present-day Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and parts of Egypt and Israel. Because of the evasive land, the empire was split into two parts, the eastern and western portions. The west was the first to fall in the Roman Empire. The descent of the Western Roman Empire was caused by the corruption of government, many invasions, and the development of Christianity.
With Rome’s size, governing the empire was challenging enough on its own. The inconsistent and unsuccessful leadership only exploited the issue. Before the rise of Christianity in the Western Empire, the emperor was looked at as the one holy ruler, considered to be a god himself. This was always a dangerous and risky job, but during the third century, it turned into basically a death trap due to civil wars. In the Roman Senate, governors began to smuggle taxpayers’ money and use to their own advantage. An anonymous writer says in On Military Matters that, “As for the Governors, the buying of recruits, the purchase of horses and grain, the monies intended for city walls – all these are regular sources of profit for them and are the pillage for which they long. ” This shows that the governors were being dishonest with the taxes being received from their own people as well as from the East. Because of this, the trust of citizens in their leadership was lost and the empire was sent into a state of panic. A major reason the Western Roman Empire fell was that of the corrupt government in charge.
The Western Roman Empire relied on its tribal society and barter, attracting barbarians and other enemies. Because the empire’s size, invaders came in from every direction without militia detection. This caused the military to lose volunteers and also caused the people to lose hope in the military altogether. Anonymous explains again that, “Above all, it must be recognized that wild nations are pressing upon the Roman Empire and howling round about it everywhere, and treacherous barbarians, covered by natural positions, are assailing every frontier. ” This shows that opposing nations were trying the Roman Empire with too many invasions that the army could handle at once. This is why invasions are a major cause of the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
Although the Romans introduced religious tolerance in their territory, the rise of Christianity played a huge role in the empire coming to an end. When it was named the new state religion, all Roman values that once were seemed to disappear. The emperor was no longer looked at as a god, and the people that once worshipped the empire itself then worshipped a single god instead. Gibbons claims in History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire that, “…the active virtues of society were discouraged, and the last remains of the military spirit were buried in the cloister; …” This shows that not only did it change Roman values, but affected what they needed most- the military. The rise of Christianity greatly affected how fast the Roman Empire collapsed.
A corrupt government, invasions from all directions, and Christianity replacing core values are all the main causes of the unlikely fall of the Western Roman Empire. Many other events played small parts, but these were the most dramatic reasons that the society crumbled. Although historians continue to search and argue for one reason the great empire ceased to exist suddenly, there is evidence that many causes built up to ultimately ruin the state. The Roman Empire will always be remembered for many of the European customs that still exist in the present day.
