Military problems were the most instrumental in the fall of the Roman Empire. The Empire was too large to defend. There was a loss of patriotism among Roman citizens. The military was weakened by corruption civil wars and the assassination of Julius Caesar. Generals challenge the authority of the emperor. To strengthen the military they had to hire mercenaries, who were not loyal to Rome. The government raised taxes to pay for the expensive military. After the conquest, stolen goods or slaves weren’t great sources to pay this military bill. Rome struggled to defend its Western Empire. Unable to recruit enough soldiers from the Roman citizenry, emperors like Diocletian and Constantine began hiring foreign mercenaries. These soldiers
