Roman Government Cycle Essay

Governmental Cycles in the Roman Empire Rome was the one of the most influential empires in history. Present-day countries, such as the United States, look up to Rome for its remarkable accomplishments: its invention of civil law, representative practices. However, with the impressive resume it has, Rome still fell in 476 C.E. The reason for Rome’s decline is still debated by scholars today. Some believe it was the rise of Christianity that hurt Rome while others state the weakening of the Roman military, but what if it was multiple reasons? A civilization does not need external forces to cause it to fail. It could have been the result of internal forces. The citizens cause civil unrest. Incompetent politicians can make bad decisions. The settlement of Roanoke failed because the Englishmen were not able to work with the Native Americans and learn to survive on the land, so to say that Rome fell for one specific reason in unfair. The Roman Empire fell because of government corruption, …show more content…
The Roman government had not regulatory unit that could limit its power or stop it when corruption is alive. This freedom allowed for “civil discord” to happen(). Government officials, such as senators, military officials, and advisors fought to keep their positions. They used their area of influence to their own benefits. “The emperor’s advisors also attempted to maintain their influence by attacking their rivals, as seen in the attacks on Stilicho and Aetius.” () Furthermore, emperors were also caught in this dangerous game. During 235-284 A.D., Rome had 22 emperors in less than fifty years. The officials were always threatened with being taken out of power by any member of government.These violent political activity occurred in Rome because the officials became worried about their own self-interest. Stability is needed in government because it allows the bureaucracy to