Rome - Kingdom, Republic and Empire together - lasted about 1200 years. Rome ruled all around the Mediterranean and large sections of Europe and Southwest Asia. Yet in the end, the problems grew too great and the Western Roman Empire fell.
Why did the empire fall apart?
There is no one single reason, but a series of problems that grew too large to solve.
1. The empire grew too large to govern. The Romans tried to solve this by dividing the empire.
2. The Romans no longer wanted to serve in the army. The Romans tried to solve this by hiring barbarians to fight for them.
3,Civil wars broke out in Rome between different factions.
4.The rich grew disinterested in helping Rome and only wanted more for themselves and their families.
5.The population of Rome shrank.
6.Trade decreased while taxes and prices increased. The poor were overtaxed.
7.The use of slaves put people out of work.
The Romans were aware of these problems and sometimes, under a good emperor, they would work on them for a while. In time, the good emperor would be gone and a bad one would take his place. Soon the problems in the Western Roman Empire grew so great that the Western (European) Roman empire fell to barbarian tribes in Europe.
In Europe there were five major barbarian tribes - the Huns, Franks, Vandals, Saxons, and Visigoths (Goths) - and all of them hated Rome. Each of the barbarian tribes wanted to destroy Rome. The Barbarians were destroying Roman towns and cities in the outer regions of the empire. The only reason that they had not destroyed Rome yet was they spent almost as much time fighting each other as they did Rome.
The Eastern Roman empire continued another 1000 years.
Rome Falls
In 476 AD, a Germanic barbarian by the name of Odoacer took control of Rome. He became king of Italy and forced the last emperor of Rome, Romulus Augustulus, to give up his crown. Many historians consider this to be the end of the Roman Empire.
In 476 AD, a Germanic barbarian by the name of Odoacer took control of Rome. He became king of Italy and forced the last emperor of Rome, Romulus Augustulus, to give up his crown. Many historians consider this to be the end of the Roman Empire.
