The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

           The end of the Roman Empire is a major event in human history. There is a lot of dispute on the cause and the time when the empire ended. The exact end to the empire is still a mystery today. The Roman Empire fell due to the combination of many bad things happening. The Roman Empire did not evolve; the Barbarians, Christianity, and Rome’s government are the causes of the ultimate collapse of what had once been the greatest empire in the world.

            Christianity was a major key to the decline of the Roman Empire. Christianity and religion affect civilization. The Roman Empire changed its name to the Byzantine Empire because of Christians. As Christianity rose, the empire sunk (Toynbee). “Religious precepts are easily obeyed, which indulge and sanctify the natural inclinations of their votaries; but the pure and genuine influence of Christianity may be traced in its beneficial, though imperfect, effects on the Barbarian proselytes of the North,” (Gibbon). Christianity, not only affected the empire, but also affected the Barbarians that helped destroy it. This religion was very influential to Romans and the Barbarians that converted to Christianity (History-world.org). Many people, even famous emperors like Constantine, converted to Christianity. Christianity was legal and outlawed at different times. It caused many changes throughout the years in the empire.

The Barbarians were successful in taking over the empire. The first of the Barbarians to conquer Rome were the Visigoths on the West side (History-world.org). The East side survived while the West side had gotten destroyed. Gibbon stated, “The endless column of Barbarians pressed on the Roman Empire with accumulated weight; and, if the foremost were destroyed, the vacant space was instantly replenished by new assailants.” The Barbarians easily defeated the armies of the Romans because the Romans were unaware of their danger and their number of enemies (Gibbon). The Barbarians did not give up and kept fighting the Romans. The Romans could not defend themselves, and the destruction of the empire took place.

            The decline and downfall of the Roman Empire was partly because Rome had a disorganized and weak government. The Romans could not raise enough money for taxes, so they stopped paying and lost complete power (Heather). The English historian Edward Gibbon wrote, “The decay of Rome has been frequently ascribed to the translation of the seat of empire; but this history has already shown that the powers of government were divided rather than removed.” The empire did not get rid of the government, but when it divided, it became less powerful. Rome had split in two sides: the East and the West. On the West side, there were numerous emperors that divided the empire, which caused chaos to the empire. The Roman Empire formed an oppressive government system with weak rulers that had gotten worse over time. Eventually, the empire was no longer in the west.

There may have not been one reason, but there was a gradual process that led the empire to fall. The end of the empire is still argued today because no one knows when it truly happened. People should be proud that the empire lasted for as long as it did, though. Barbarianism and Christianity had succeeded after all. The Barbarians, government, and the ability of the Roman Empire to fall under the influence of Christianity led it to decline. The Roman Empire collapsed due to a combination of many things.

Works Cited:

Gibbon, E. (n.d.). General observations on the fall of the roman empire in the west. Retrieved       from http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/gibbon-fall.html.

Heather, P. (2011). The fall of rome. Retrieved from             http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/fallofrome_article_01.shtml

History-world.org. Goths. Retrieved from http://history-world.org/goths.htm.

Toynbee, Arnold. (1948). Christianity and civilization. Retrievied from             http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/toynbee.html.