The Roman World

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Rome Day 1 Geography Rome Day 2 Structure of the Republic Rome Day 3 Punic Wars

Rome Day 4 Republic to Empire Rome Day 5 Roman Society Rome Day 6 Christianity

Rome Day 7 Fall of Rome Rome Day 8 Review Unit Plan for Rome

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Section 6: The Fall of the Western Empire

In this section you will learn about problems the Roman Empire had to deal with during the A.D. 200s.

Objectives:

1. Explain how the reigns (rule) of Diocletian and Constantine slowed the decline of the empire.

2. Discuss the internal and external factors that led to the final decline of the Roman Empire in the West.

Today's lesson

I. View this webpage on your own and answer the two questions below.

1. Explain how the reigns (rule) of Diocletian and Constantine slowed the decline of the empire.

2. Discuss the internal and external factors that led to the final decline of the Roman Empire in the West.

II. Then start/continue working on your review sheets.

The Roman World Section 6:

Section 6 Summary: The empire began to slide into crisis. Invaders and civil war threatened, and war was costly. To collect more taxes, the government made all free people citizens. But no new expansion added to Rome’s wealth. Silver was in short supply. The emperors decreased the amount of silver in the coins. Merchants raised prices. A rise in prices caused by a decrease in the value of money is called inflation. Daily life became hard. Small farmers had to sell their farms. Cities such as Athens were sacked by invaders.

http://pages.uoregon.edu/klio/wc07/20-fall&barbarian.htm

Diocletian (dy-uh-KLEE-shuhn), a Roman general, became emperor in A.D. 284. He slowed the decline of the empire by driving out invaders and ending lawlessness. He appointed a co-emperor to rule the western half of the empire. His government controlled almost every aspect of life, putting security first. After new co-emperors took office, the emperor in the West died suddenly. His son Constantine took his place. The eastern emperor refused to recognize Constantine. Civil war broke out. Constantine won and became sole emperor. He supported Christianity throughout the empire. He created a new capital city in the East called Constantinople, from which he could defend the eastern empire. After Constantine died, the empire again divided in two. The western empire grew weaker as the eastern empire became the center of power and wealth. Threats of invasion continued from the Goths, Vandals, and other German tribes who flooded into the empire to escape eastern invaders.

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/fallofrome.htm

The Romans treated them badly, and the Goths revolted and crushed the Roman army. The Romans allowed the Goths to settle in the empire. But peace was brief. In A.D. 410 the Goths sacked Rome. Meanwhile the Vandals invaded and in A.D. 455 they, too, sacked Rome

http://learnaboutancientrome.weebly.com/the-fall-of-rome.html

The Goths had fled from the Huns, nomadic peoples from Asia who lived by raiding and plundering. Led by the fierce Attila, the Huns launched an attack on Gaul. They were defeated by an army of Romans and Goths. But repeated invasions strained Rome’s resources. The Germans were of many different tribes. They set up tribal kingdoms, not a united empire. People left the cities in search of food and safety. In the country, soldiers trampled crops. Learning declined as schools and libraries were destroyed. The “fall” of the Roman Empire was really a gradual decline. For centuries Rome’s politics, military, economics, and social life had decayed. The empire grew too fast for a government designed for a small city-state. The army interfered in government. Soldiers lost their loyalty to Rome, and the army became too dependent upon German troops. The government could no longer depend upon plunder from foreign wars. Heavy taxes crushed the people, yet did not provide enough money for defense. Divisions grew between the wealthy few and the many who were poor. Romans became less patriotic, less interested in government, and less honest.

http://www.tesorillo.com/aes/_map/map6.htm

Although Germanic tribes defeated the Western Roman Empire,

the Eastern Roman Empire remained intact and became

known as the Byzantine Empire.