The Roman empire was the ancient world’s largest and most powerful empire. It reached its height in 117 C.E., encompassing nearly 2 million square miles and containing more than 50 million people. Connecting the vast empire were more than 250,000 miles of roads, 50,000 of which were paved. Roman engineers founded or improved more than 1,000 cities and towns. Rome itself was a magnificent example of cultural, technological and social superiority in its time. It was a great place to live in until everything crumbled. Rome ultiimately fell because of financial problems, weakening frontiers, and most importantly political instability.
One of the many reasons why Rome fell was financial problems. The mighty Roman Empire experienced years of social …show more content…
There was no real way for a new emperor to be chosen. Because of this, most people who wanted to become emperor often bribed the Praetorian Guard and sometimes even assassinated the current emperor. In fact, over the course of 50 years, 13 emperors had died because they were murdered. Plus, Rome was gigantic so it was very difficult to govern. If Rome’s sheer size made it difficult to govern, ineffective and inconsistent leadership only served to magnify the problem. Being the Roman emperor had always been a particularly dangerous job, but during the tumultuous second and third centuries it nearly became a death sentence. Civil war thrust the empire into chaos, and more than 20 men took the throne in the span of only 75 years, usually after the murder of their predecessor. The Praetorian Guard—the emperor’s personal bodyguards—assassinated and installed new sovereigns at will, and once even auctioned the spot off to the highest bidder. The political rot also extended to the Roman Senate, which failed to temper the excesses of the emperors due to its own widespread corruption and incompetence. As the situation worsened, civic pride waned and many Roman citizens lost trust in their
One of the many reasons why Rome fell was financial problems. The mighty Roman Empire experienced years of social …show more content…
There was no real way for a new emperor to be chosen. Because of this, most people who wanted to become emperor often bribed the Praetorian Guard and sometimes even assassinated the current emperor. In fact, over the course of 50 years, 13 emperors had died because they were murdered. Plus, Rome was gigantic so it was very difficult to govern. If Rome’s sheer size made it difficult to govern, ineffective and inconsistent leadership only served to magnify the problem. Being the Roman emperor had always been a particularly dangerous job, but during the tumultuous second and third centuries it nearly became a death sentence. Civil war thrust the empire into chaos, and more than 20 men took the throne in the span of only 75 years, usually after the murder of their predecessor. The Praetorian Guard—the emperor’s personal bodyguards—assassinated and installed new sovereigns at will, and once even auctioned the spot off to the highest bidder. The political rot also extended to the Roman Senate, which failed to temper the excesses of the emperors due to its own widespread corruption and incompetence. As the situation worsened, civic pride waned and many Roman citizens lost trust in their