How Did the Roman Empire Fall


Rome was once a mighty force in the Eastern realm of the world, but it met its fate like all other great powers before them. They were attacked and besieged from outside forces as well as from within. The time period, the forces at work, and the condition Rome itself was in, all ultimately lead to its downfall as a great empire.

Rome was used to facing attacks from outside forces but what began to weaken its defenses was something that was not so readily defended against- corruption of the people themselves. Rome was crumbling from the inside as corruption took hold of its government and political structures and began to weaken the mighty city. Rather than working to unite the Roman Empire, its rulers and governors now sought to control it and to make themselves more powerful in the process. No longer was the focus on the greater good to Rome but rather on the greater good of each individual man and political party.

The rise of the Eastern Empire was another weak link in Rome’s mighty armor that few saw ahead of time. Emperor Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into two halves. The reason for this was to make it easier to manage and govern and was seen as an attempt t maintain the strength and unity of the Roman Empire by breaking it into more manageable chunks while still keeping it a mostly unified empire. The Western Empire of Rome had its center in the city of Milan, and the Eastern Empire had its central seat located in Byzantium, which was most famously known as Constantinople. The division made things easier to government and control in the short term, but over time the empires drifted and began opposing each other. That is why Constantinople is so famous while Milan is not nearly as well known. The Eastern Empire ended up being the stronger and more dominate of the two halves and soon came to hold the most power.

At the height of its fame and glory, the Roman Empire touched the Atlantic Ocean and extended all the way to the region of the Middle East. However, many believe that this power and expanse is what ultimately help finalize its fate. Such a broad and expanse region is difficult to control and the far reaches of the empire fell to greedy and selfish rulers who wanted their own person glory and began to work for their good rather than the good of the empire. Corruption ran rampant, military forces were stretched far too thin, and the economy began to waver under the sheer burden of such a large and expanse empire. It was too much and once the outer regions fell and the Roman Empire began to crumble, it was very little time until the enter Empire ceased to exist.

It was a combination of many factors and changes that ultimately lead to the downfall of one of the greatest empires in the world. The Roman Empire died in many ways at its own hands as power became too great a temptation, resources were stretched too thin, and corruption took the place of diplomacy and order.