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Ancient Rome and the Origins of
Christianity
Lesson 2: The Roman Empire: The Fall of Rome
BELLWORK
Answer the following question with your neighbor:
What were the contributing factors that led to the fall of Rome?
Lesson 2 Objectives
Identify the factors that led to the decline and fall of Rome
Determine the most important factors that led to the fall of Rome
Analyze the lasting impact of the Roman civilization
Why Did Rome Fall?
The fall of the Roman civilization is seen as an important event in the history of Western civilization
Historians argue over the root causes of the fall of the civilization, but all agree that there are multiple contributions
Military
The attacks on Rome were successful
because Roman legions of the late
empire lacked discipline and training of
the earlier empire
The Roman military was mostly
composed of mercenaries in the border
areas
These men had little loyalty to Rome
Political
The government became more
oppressive and authoritarian
Lost the support of the Roman people
Corrupt officials undermined the
loyalty of the people and caused
frequent civil wars over succession
Rival armies also supported
commanders for the throne and
weakened power
Economic
Heavy taxes to support the huge
government and military
The middle class sank in poverty
Slave labor discouraged Romans from
exploring new technology
Loss of territories lost a vital source of
income
Population declined with war and
epidemics
Social
Decline in patriotism, self-discipline,
devotion to duty, and loyalty that
built the empire
Upper class was focused on
themselves rather than on leadership
Did Rome Really Fall?
There was still and emperor who
ruled the eastern Roman empire - the
Byzantine Empire - lasted another
1,000 years
“Fall” can be interpreted as the long
slow change from one way of life to
another
The people were the same, yet were
ruled by others
Germanic Changes
Germanic customs and languages
began to replace Latin and Roman
law in many places
Roman structures and cities began to
disappear
Christianity was one of the only
remaining cultural connections
It eventually provided for the
creation of the medieval civilizations