Fall of Rome Through the Years, Students Term Paper

Fall of Rome

Through the years, students have been taught that Roman Civilization and the Fall of Rome took place 476 A.D. when really the empire kept going for another two centuries. When considering such an event it is important to define the framework of examination. First, it is important to define "fall" in this context. Second, it is important to discuss the factors of emperors, Barbarians and Christianity and how these factors played a role in the fall of Rome. This paper will explores these concepts with the argument that the fall of Rome is not something that happened overnight but rather took a great deal of time.

Many scholars define the fall of Rome happening at different times depending upon the different factors they consider important. For instance, Edward Gibbon's date of 476 is acceptable because that is when the Germanic Odoacer deposed the last emperor ruling from Rome. Other researchers claim the fall happened when Rome split into two while others claim the fall happened over many years due to many different factors. Still, one must keep in mind, Rome still exists so maybe it never fell entirely. Despite what scholars argue, the Fall of Rome is an important event. It helps define a moment in time, a cross over from Ancient and Classical time to Medieval and Renaissance time. It defines people culturally, politically and religiously as these are the main factors for Rome's decline of power.

Rome became too big to control, simply stated. Not only did politicians, soldiers and their families live in the empire but also did non-working barbarians. This caused a decay in the economy while the military lost its hold on the area. It was too busy focusing on other frontiers like Gaul and England. This…