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Roman Empire Dbq

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Fall of the Western Roman Empire The Roman Empire was doomed to crumble and fall from the beginning. The specific reason for it’s infamous decline could stem from many different reasons. From my point of view, I believe Rome’s internal decay, economic collapse, and the infiltration of barbarians contributed to the disintegration of the Roman Empire. One of the many reasons why, one of the largest, most influential empires of ancient times perished, was because of internal decay. The gap between the wealthy and the impoverished grew larger, causing the majority of the population to be routinely ostracized from political responsibility; including serving in the army. [Doc.1] Also, due to the introduction of Christianity, the active virtues of society were discouraged, and the remains of military spirit were buried in the cloister. [Doc.2] According to; Strayer, Gatzke, and Harbison; the authors of ‘The Course of Civilization;’, Rome’s inability to protect themselves, serve in the army; because of the majority of the population being …show more content…

That led to a staggering tax inflation, and caused the heart of Rome’s workforce to be squashed. As a consequence, the fiber of the citizens was weakened. [Doc. 4] Even as the workforce was crushed, the unemployment still continued to grow. The abundance of slaves ruined free farmers’ businesses and caused the growth of the latifundia. Slave work kept wages low for any available jobs. [Doc. 3] Due to the low economy, Rome’s military was torn in half. They were forced to hire German’s to defend their land. American Historian; Herbert J. Muller ’s point of view of slavery was valid. He considered slavery; which led to the growth of the latifundia, what ruined farmers and kept unemployment and wages low. Muller identifies the abundance of slaves and markets in the “semi-barbaric” provinces as the source of the economic

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