Fall Of Rome Dbq Essay

The fall of the Roman Empire was inevitable. Whether by the hands of corrupted political officers, or by the hands of invading civilizations, Rome was doomed. Most responsible for the fall of Rome however, was the gap in classes. The wealthy got richer, and the poor got even poorer. This not only had an effect on the Empire economically, but Morally, politically, and Militarily as well. Rome was made up of mostly the rich and the poor. The civilization was vastly made up of the less wealthy class. In return, mostly all of Rome had no say in political reasons, and votes. In Document 1, it states that “the overwhelming majority of population had been systematically excluded from political responsibilities.” In return, the majority of the population could not defend themselves from the power of political rulers, which lead to corruption. Politically, Rome was greatly affected by the gap in classes, and when the poor make up most of the population, you cannot expect the economy to thrive when most of your …show more content…
In document 5, Montanelli states that “Rome, like all great empires, was not overthrown by external enemies but undermined by internal decay”. This meaning, that the fall of Rome was dependant on the military crisis. Numbers made it hard for Rome’s military strength to prosper. The lack of children, and great numbers of foreigners caused for a lack of soldiers. Montanelli also says that “The Roman army [was] composed entirely of Germans.” With no Military power, how can you stop Barbarian attacks such as the Vandals, Visigoths, Huns, and Franks (Shown in Document 6). The fall of Rome was greatly impacted by the lack of Military power. The power of the Military would not have been so weak, if the classes and gaps in people economically was so huge. If everyone could participate in Military, numbers would not have suffered. Which is supported in Document 1. “They could not organize to protect themselves; they could not serve in the