Essay On The Fall Of The Western Roman Empire

Many people believe that the year 476 CE was the fall of the Roman Empire. However, the Roman Empire did not actually fall, only the Western half did (which included cities like Rome, Sicily, and Carthage). The Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, on the other hand, continued to live for hundreds of years. This included cities like Athens, Syria, Egypt, and Alexandria. The Western Roman Empire was already facing a mound full of problems prior to the year 476, such as an economic meltdown, depopulation, political instability, break away of lands, and external threats. The Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire survived into the Middle Ages while the Western Roman Empire collapsed in the late 5th century CE because the Byzantine Empire had a more favorable geographical location, was more urbanized, densely populated, and wealthier. The Eastern Roman Empire managed to survive from external threats because its capital, Constantinople, was situated “between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.” Constantinople’s location on a peninsula empowered …show more content…
In order to maintain a sizable army, soldiers’ salaries needed to be increased, thus taxes were increased. This increased the financial disparity between the patricians and the plebeians. For instance, small farmers could not pay the increase in taxes, therefore many were forced to sell their lands to the rich. Due to its mainly agricultural economy, Rome failed to create technological advancement, which meant “a decrease in agricultural production” and an increase in food prices. Accordingly, trading between the western and eastern halves of the Empire decreased. For instance, the west could no longer buy the luxury goods from the east because they “had nothing to offer in exchange.” The Roman government attempted to combat the “lack of money” by producing more coins with less silver content, however, this only led to