Hannah Gill

DBQ:The Fall of Rome

The Roman Empire was the most advanced, powerful, and majestic place of its time, at

least until it fell. Rome, located in present day Italy, grew from a tiny village into an omnipotent

empire. Their innovative way of looking at things, disciplined army, and wise leaders allowed

them, during their height in 117 CE, to control the entire Mediterranean Sea, Asia Minor, Egypt,

Africa, Gaul, and Britain. There are many possibilities for the downfall of this great empire, but

three prominent reasons stand out.​ These significant reasons for the “fall” of Rome were

political assassinations and government corruption, natural disasters, and military problems.

One important reason that Rome fell was the constant military problems.​ ​In Document B,

Vegetius states, “… because of negligence and laziness… soldiers fought… without any

protection.” Also in Document B,, Michael Grant, in his book ​The Fall of the Roman Empire: A

Reappraisal, ​says “... weaknesses of the late Roman army were largely due ​ ​to… failure… to

enforce regular conscription.”​ ​These two men both state that the once formidable Roman army

had been turned into lazy soldiers, their numbers dwindling. ​Rome was known for its daunting

army. They had the most skilled and disciplined soldiers at that time. Their military is one of the

reasons they obtained so much land. When it started to fall apart, so did the empire. The control

and power Rome had hoarded for so long disintegrated.

A second important reason that Rome fell was the devastating natural disasters that

tormented it.​ ​According to Edward Gibson’s, ​The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman

Empire, ​“... The Roman world was shaken by a violent and destructive earthquake… fifty

thousand people had lost their lives in the flood.” Document F also states, “The resulting
diseases decimated the population… decreased from a million people to 250,000.” ​These

natural disasters, diseases and flooding, devastated the denzies of Rome, resulting in a

massive, almost 75%, drop in the population. ​Going back to the military problems, conscription

was a major one. Rome was massive, and without manpower to defend its borders they were

open to attack. Now that the population has dropped, paired with the conscription problem,

disappearance of armor, and a barbarian war looming in the horizon, Rome was shattering.

While the first two reasons are important, the primary reason Rome fell was the political

problems and government corruption.​ The chart in Document A shows that there were

twenty-two emperors over a span of fifty years.​ ​That meant each emperor only served for a bit

over two years each. Out of these twenty-two emperors only two died from natural causes. The

most frequent cause of death was assasination. People were buying their way into the

government. Then, somebody would kill them and nominate someone new. It was a circle of

corrupt and injustice. ​The people of Rome thought the empire was weak, unfair, and didn’t

deserve their money or loyalty. This was the most important factor in Rome’s “fall” because if

Rome had a strong, innovative, smart, and fair government, all or most of the problems could

have been fixed, or avoided completely. Consequently, Rome would have survived for much

longer.

It is true that there are other reasons that explain Rome’s decline. Foreign invasions and

legal injustice to name but a few. However, the three reasons presented above - military

problems, natural disasters, and especially political and government corruptness - provide the

best explanation why Rome crumbled in the 5​th ​century CE.