Why The Roman Empire Fell

Rome was one of the largest and most powerful empires to exist in the world. It lasted from 27 BC - 476 AD, but what caused its fall in 476? I believe the largest reasons Rome fell was because of invasion of barbarians, lack of military funding, assassination, and weak emperors.

One of the most critical reasons the Roman empire fell was because of the invasions of barbarians, like the Goths, Vandals, and the Huns. As the Goths were fleeing from the Huns, they were forced to enter Roman territory. The Romans, fearing the Goths would sack and destroy their land and territory. Although they were extremely successful in the eastern half of Rome, they were defeated in the western half (pg.32), allowing Goths to invade, which let them destroy and sack Roman territory. Later in the Roman empire’s lifetime, the barbarians took over. “Unfortunately, for Rome, most of these rulers were too busy fighting… to protect the empire. In 476, a barbarian general overthrew the last emperor and named himself the king of Italy.” (pg.34). Most historians consider this the fall of the Roman empire (pg.34). The invasion of Rome was one of the most critical reasons Rome fell. …show more content…
“The need to pay troops added to the demands on the state’s budget, just as declining production cut into tax revenues.” (Doc F). This shows that even paying the troops was difficult, which in turn makes it almost impossible to even pay for effective armor and weapons. There was also a lack of soldiers on the battlefield to begin with. “There can be little doubt that the weaknesses of the late Roman army were due largely due to the eventual failure… to enforce regular conscription [draft of soldiers].” Rome fell largely due to the lack of military