Fall of Rome

Introduction

The Roman Empire lasted from about 750 B.C. until about 1453 A.D. There were a few things that contributed to the empire's collapse. First, the unruliness in the empire caused many problems. Every time a new emperor was announced, there was always someone there to end his or her reign. A second reason for the collapse is the invasions that almost became a normal thing. They were constantly under attack by neighboring countries and groups. A final reason for the fall of the empire is the rebellion of supposed friends. The Romans used to put their captives or slaves into the army to fight for the country. However, once there were enough of them to rebel, this obviously happened. This was not the only reason for the fall of the empire but it certainly added to it.

Fall of Rome History

First, the Roman Empire was probably one of the strongest in the world. They had a great army, great rulers, and the ability to always come back from a beating, almost. The army that was behind the country was as described by the British Broadcasting Corporation, "Roman soldiers had to be tough. They were expected to march 20 miles a day wearing armour. They were also expected to carry their own shield, some food and camping equipment". (Romans 1) Just with that said, it seems like they must have been extremely strong and knew how to fight. They were forced to stay in the army for at least twenty-five years before they were allowed to leave. Because of this, the men who were in the army were very well knowledgeable and could defend the city fairly well. Even with this vast knowledge of war, these armies were still overthrown.

Some of these groups of people that were able to somewhat take over the Romans were, Boudicca, the barbarians, and the vandals. The vandals eventually destroy the Roman Empire. Though the Romans supposedly had a great army, they were easily overruled by rebellion from within. This was because they would constantly take captives and then force them to fight for them in wars. Once the captives' numbers were great enough, they could form together and try to take over the capitol or what ever may be the case (Demandt, pp.25-30).

The Romans were constantly being invaded by neighboring countries. This was because they were very violent and always were taking land from everyone. This eventually was enough for some people, such as the vandals from Africa. They invaded from Italy in 455 A.D. This caused the destruction of Rome. Although the capitol was destroyed, the empire still lasted for another nine hundred years. Another reason for invasion is that the Romans have so much to take compared to everyone else. Their communities were thriving and they were in excellent status. They had plenty of supplies and food storage to live off for a long time. Some groups felt this was a threat so they joined and invaded to try to take ...