Key Components in the Fall of Roman Empire - Essay Example

Examine Roman History and Compare It to What You Know Of U.S. History and Current Events INTRODUCTION In the ancient days, the Roman Empire was actually stretched from the British regions to the Egyptian regions, the Spanish to the Iraqi regions, covering some parts of Russia and Morocco. The Roman civilization throve for almost a thousand years, which imposed unignorable impacts on the people for a certain period of time. It was during the 4th century that the Romans began following the principles of Christianity, which gradually spread all over its empire. The Romans, after adopting Christianity, focused on building a particular system to maintain law and order in most of its conquered territories (US History, “Ancient Rome”). On the contrary, the emergence of the US history dates back to the exploration and discovery of the Northern and Southern American regions thousand years prior to the birth of Christopher Columbus. The US history has strands that originate from the prehistoric days of Greece and Rome. Specially mentioning, the US Empire is compared with the Roman Empire, as the political philosophy and social conceptions of the US Empire is quite related to the ancient Romans perhaps owing to the impression of the Roman culture on that of the US since its discovery (Sage, Henry J. “U.S. History I: United States History 1607-1865 Text for History 121”). THESIS STATEMENT The assignment intends to examine the Roman history and compare it with the US history and other current events. Correspondingly, the key components that played a significant role in the decline of Roman Empire will be discussed in this thesis. In addition, the Roman Emperors, who took charge of the throne and governed the empire for a certain time period, will be outlined in the discussion further. The thesis will also discuss the tax base of the Roman Empire, which will highlight where the money was collected from and where it was spent during that period. The thesis will also emphasize the reason due to which, Roman Legions lost their discipline as the time passed along with outlining the way in which Romans integrated the newly conquered people in the Roman Empire. Additionally, the paper focuses on drawing a parallel distinction between the decline of governing institutions in Rome and the US. KEY COMPONENTS IN THE FALL OF ROMAN EMPIRE Even though the evidence related to the fall of Roman Empire is quite limited, those are apparently indicative in nature when identifying the precise reasons for the collapse of the empire. For instance, hyperinflation in the Roman Empire was one of the prime reasons that caused a huge problem in the third century for the dynasty to sustain. To be precise, the monitory policies used by the empire in the 3rd century resulted to loss of individual liberty for the resident people, which actually reduced their ability to prosper; hence, causing decline of the Roman Empire. Agriculture can also be identified as another key component in the fall of Roman Empire, as there was a huge decline in the economic prediction of the Romans. This hindrance fuelled the over taxation policy, which was used by the empire wherein most of the peasants were left with insufficient food that actually made the lower class of people in the empire suffer. It is worth mentioning in this regard that hyperinflation damaged the overall savings of middle class people that further induced instability within the empire (Heather, “Empire and Development: The Fall of the Roman West”). Historical accounts have further revealed that imperial bureaucracy of the Roman Empire, in the fourth century, played a key role in triggering the fall of the empire. As there was a division in the imperial authority of the empire, civil war commenced eventually, among brothers sharing the throne that ignited since the third century when Persia emerged as a potential rival empire to the Romans. This in turn restricted growth of the economic output of the empire, as it became gradually difficult to increase the total production with shortage of tractors and agricultural fertilizers. It is thus conceived that economic production could have been increased through adequate support from the authority; however, the empire failed significantly, as not much of support was provided by the imperial authority at that particular period of time. In the ancient times, Romans used to rely upon land and agricultural outputs as a source of income, but due to the economic downturn in the empire, the overall value of land and its output began reducing gradually. Power imbalances in the empire were also a key contributing factor in the decline of the Roman empire, as the western half of the empire was destructed due to this imbalance (Heather, “Empire and Development: The Fall of the Roman West”). WAYS IN WHICH ROMAN EMPERORS CAME TO THE THRONE AND THE TIME PERIOD IN THEIR REIGN Roman Emperors, in the 1st century Anno Domini (AD), used to follow a hereditary rule that determined the person who came into the throne. The Roman emperors, at that point of time, had not come to the throne in terms of their honesty and capability; instead, decedents of the previous emperors, who belonged to the royal family, were simply placed on the throne (Devillier Donegan Enterprises, “The Roman Empire”). Irrespective of such gaps prevailing in the eligibility criteria of the selected candidates, there were great emperors in the Roman history, such as Augustus whose reign began in 27 Before Christ (BC) and continued till 14 AD. Augustus was the forefather of the Roman Empire who initiated republican policies in Rome wherein the government power was entrusted to the Roman senate, legislative and executive assemblies. However, Augustus retained the actual powers, following an autocratic leadership style to control his empire skillfully. During his reign, Augustus continuously expanded the empire by conquering numerous regions, which further marked his imperial succession. In addition, Augustus induced peace during his reign in Rome, which was known as Pax Romana that played a significant role to have ultimately reduced the extent of conflicts in his empire. It can be accordingly revealed that Augustus introduced a taxation system that provided tax liberty to the people in his empire and made them feel secured under his leadership. He also brought several reforms in Rome wherein new network of roads were developed, which helped in rebuilding the entire city of Rome facilitating trade to a substantial extent. Eventually, Tiberius took over the throne of Roman Empire after the unfortunate death of Augustus, as his step-son. As an emperor, his reign ranged from 14 AD to 37 AD. Historians, when studying his reign have marked various contribution those have been quite significant in enriching the Roman culture and sophistication. Subsequently, Caligula, who was the grandson of Tiberius, came into throne after Tiberius’ demise. Caligula’s reign in the empire continued from 37 AD to 41 AD. Succeeding his nephew Caligula, Claudius came into throne, whose empire reigned from 41 AD to 54 AD following which, the throne was then taken over by Nero, Claudius’ grand-nephew, whose reign ranged from 54 AD to 68 AD (Ostia, “Emperors from Augustus to Constantine”). Therefore, from the above mentioned study it can be witnessed that the Roman Emperors came into throne in a hierarchal level wherein the emperors to some extent belonged from the same family. Nevertheless, there were only a few emperors whose reign extended over a certain period of time, while many emperors had to witness an early defeat and c conclusion of their reign in the Roman dynasty. A common fact identifiable when investigating the causes for the few emperors to continue their reign for a longer period as compared to others reveals that they all contributed highly towards maintaining peace and initiating development in Rome. Such contributions not only facilitated developments in the then socio-economic system of the empire but also promoted cultural prosperity amid the people, emerging as a key to the continuous growth of the dynasty and the expansion of the emperors’ rein (Devillier Donegan Enterprises, “The Roman Empire”). TAX BASE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE During the reign of Roman Empire, the taxes were collected from the invaded regions by the emperor. Approximately, 1% tax was levied on individuals in the Roman province under normal conditions, while in extreme conditions, such as war, 3% tax were levied on individuals. These taxes were collected on the basis of the lands, animals and other sorts of wealth that belonged to the provincial residents under the Roman dynasty. The Roman Empire discovered numerous gold and silver mines that contributed as a source of revenue for the state, which in turn made the tax base of Rome richer as compared to other empires of the same time. Accordingly, historical accounts have revealed that the Roman Empire did not necessitate collecting any tax from the Roman citizens, as the requirement was fulfilled by collecting taxes from the provincial regions. As collecting tax from individuals was quite difficult, the Roman Empire levied taxes on the entire communities, which made the tax collection system quite easier. To be mentioned in this context, the societies that were levied with tax were under the control of local magistrates and governors (UNRV, “Taxes in the Roman Empire”). In addition, the Roman Empire used tax farmers, who were also referred to as Publicani, for collecting tax in the provincial states. Accordingly, the Roman Empire spent the money collected from tax on the provincial regions of Rome that was primarily intended to alleviate the people in the society. However, in reality, the situation was quite different as the corrupted tax farmers used tax money for sufficing their requirements and interests (UNRV, “Taxes in the Roman Empire”). Furthermore, the tax that was collected by the Roman Empire was spent on three different spheres for more than two decades. The first sphere included the provinces in which the defensive armies or military personnel were located, the second sphere included the Spanish, African and Egyptian provinces from which, huge amounts of taxes were exported to the Roman Empire and the third sphere included the center, which consisted of the Roman and Italian regions wherein large amount of taxes were consumed by the Courts, the frontier armies and the central government (Hopkins, “Taxes and Trade in the Roman Empire 200 B.C.-A.D. 400”). CAUSES OF ROMAN LEGIONS LOSING THEIR DISCIPLINE OVER TIME The Roman Empire, in the 4th century, beheld huge operational changes along with certain compositional changes within the Roman Legions so as to stabilize the threats being posed to the Roman Empire, both internally and externally. However, the results obtained from these changes were quite unusual as the legions became ineffectual and undisciplined, which adversely influenced Roman Legions’ morale. Subsequently, it was witnessed that lack of morale within the Roman Legions severely affected the Roman Empire as the legions could not combat major challenges faced by the empire, being highly inclined towards sufficing their personal needs and desires. Eventually the reputation of the legions began suffering, which resulted in crisis and further induced corruption and coercion amid the officers, who were responsible for commanding them, causing the failure of the entire economic system (Fields, “Fighting for the Empire: Military Morale in the Fourth-Century Roman Army”). Notably, the main reason behind Roman Legions losing their discipline was due to the arrival of barbarian troops in the Roman Empire who did not integrate and cooperate with the Roman comrades. This in turn created problems for the Roman Legions, as their morale was badly affected due to increased extent of pressure and undisciplined measures inflicted by the barbarian troops. The Roman Empire, during the later phase of the 4th century, focused on increasing the percentage of total army personnel in its legions, so as to mitigate the threat being posed by hostile tribes in the empire. However, the Roman Empire failed to consider the fact that barbarian troops were unreliable, which endangered the Roman Legions inhibiting their discipline and effectiveness. Contextually, during the later phase of the 4th century, the morale of the existing army was severely affected as the entire Roman Legion became imbalanced. In addition, tribal soldiers were fused with the Roman soldiers, which made it quite problematic for the newly formed group of soldiers to integrate in an effective manner. Thus, lack of morale ignited within the Roman soldiers that created a sense of dissatisfaction among them inhibiting their honesty towards the emperor. Additionally, the Roman Empire, due to the apprehensive requirements of soldiers, inadvertently weakened the spirit of the existing army, which further caused a loss of discipline among the legions. Furthermore, a lenient approach in the training process for military personnel along with corruption among officers also emerged as a significant matter of concern, as they were only focused towards obtaining more wealth instead of safeguarding the empire (Fields, “Fighting for the Empire: Military Morale in the Fourth-Century Roman Army”). ROME ASSIMILATION OF NEWLY CONQUERED PEOPLE Anciently, the Roman Empire was successful in conquering numerous regions through effective use of its troops that eventually became the Roman provinces in the later years. With the invasion in these regions, the Roman Empire conquered several legions who were then assimilated into the Roman way of life. It can be accordingly revealed that the newly conquered people were assimilated peacefully into Rome, which made them comfortable to survive by following the Roman way of life. To be precise, the urban centers in Rome acknowledged the ‘romanization’ of diverse cultures among newly conquered people along with the roman rule. To be noted in this regard, the Roman Empire focused on maintaining peace in the Roman region, which was well-known as Pax Romana. Pax Romana was completely distinct from other conceptions of peace, as this particular notion was highly valued for ensuring that the newly conquered people could live peacefully in the Roman society, gaining affluence and maintaining unity with other fellow citizens (Brown, Dahlen and Forrest, “Romanization”). Hence, it can be argued that romanization was induced in the Roman Empire to help alleviating the standard of living for the newly conquered legions. The administrators in the Roman Empire also focused on investing in the urban region due to which, variety of capacities were introduced in the urban cities of the then Roman dynasty. The Roman cities were also made more livable for the newly conquered people, provided with the basic amenities such as sewers and water mills, which contributed towards their inhabitation in the Roman Society. There was a thoughtful effort made by the Romans to introduce a system that considered the newly conquered people from Spain and Greece, so that, being identified as Roman citizens they were free from any kind of exclusion in the society. All the Roman citizens were considered as equal as far as their citizenship was concerned wherein a certain extent of autonomy was provided to the newly conquered people. New Roman laws were also introduced wherein a judicial system and certain notions of equitable treatment were framed, which effectively resulted in assimilating the newly conquered people in the Roman society (Brown, Dahlen and Forrest, “Romanization”). PARALLELS BETWEEN THE DECAY OF ROMAN GOVERNING INSTITUTIONS AND THOSE OF THE U.S. The decline of Rome and its government institutions was a likely and inevitable result of the uncontrolled greatness. The Roman Empire and its governing institutions decayed due to numerous factors such as invasion of the barbarian troops, decline in the moral values of the Roman Legion, problems related to public health and environmental issues, excessive spending on the military for protecting the empire, rise in political corruption and decays in the religious principles of Christianity as followed in the urban society. Historically, these factors adversely influenced the governing institutions in Roman Empire, with repeated interventions, which resulted to its ultimate decay. As a result of these hindrances, there was a huge decline in the trade and industrial sector of the Roman Empire, wherein it was witnessed that agricultural production fell on a large scale. However, while the other reasons persisted, the main reason behind fall in the productivity level of the empire was the imposition of huge tax charges on the marginal lands, wherein the tax obtained was over expended on the military, which gave rise to barbarian invasion as an outcome of poverty in the region. This in turn played a huge role in the decay of its governing institutions, as the economic system of Roman Empire was highly dependent on the plunder of invaded regions (Quinn, “Decline and Fall of the American Empire”). In relation to the parallels of the governing institutions in Roman and American Empire, it can be witnessed that the American Empire followed a unique approach to establish its currency as the de facto for the world economy. In this approach, the American Empire emphasized dictating mechanisms to the world economies taking virtues of its unique positioning and status quo in the industrial sector. As a result, the US dollar position became quite robust worldwide, which resulted in alleviating the overall wealth and prosperity in the nation (Quinn, “Decline and Fall of the American Empire”). Again, the governing institutions in Rome during its uncorrupted years focused on continuously renewing its governmental spirit so as to prevent further destruction. This particular theme of renewal was also used by the governing institutions in American Empire so as to stay free from any kind of governmental destructions. However, the governing institutions in both the Roman and American Empire decayed, as this particular theme did not work due to increased extent of corruption in the subsequent years (Silvesta, “Parallels between the Roman Kingdom and American Colonies - Lessons from History Series”). Historical accounts also reveal that skepticism in God undermining religious values, degeneration in the parental authority and disappearance in the moral values, adversely affected the governing institutions in Roman Empire. These aspects could also be witnessed in the American Empire, which led to the internal weakness and disintegration of its governing institutions (Anderson, “Rome and America - How Do We Compare with the Ancient Roman Empire”). CONCLUSION From the above analysis and discussion it can be easily derived that the factors responsible for the decline of the Roman Empire have been wide-ranging and exhibited an interlinkage with economic, political, cultural and religious values. From a broader perspective, these factors may have also had significant implications on the US in the modern day context, due to which, it is suggestive to summarize few lessons that can be learnt from the downfall of the Roman Empire. As mentioned above, one of the most apparent parallels between the Roman and the American Empires was that they were facing a problem of internal weakness among its territories, due to lack of liberal democracies. Therefore, the most important lesson for the US today can be identified in terms that liberal democracies are the key to maintaining good relationship with neighbor countries. To be precise, the upper class in the Roman Empire possessed enormous wealth because of which, they had the capability of negotiating taxes and other concessions, which internally weakened their government. Taking lesson from this instance, people in the US must learn that reducing or negotiating tax internally weakens the government and leads to its decline in the long run. Historically, the US was instituted on democratic principles, which were quite similar to that of the Roman Republic. As the Roman Empire was highly focused on becoming an imperial power, further leading to its decline, it is considered that the US must learn that maintaining peace and inducing certain responsibilities in the central government is the key to success for its imperial power (Fears, “The Lessons of the Roman Empire for America Today”). On the whole, it can be asserted that the US must take into account the main causes for the decline of Roman Empire and accordingly, frame strategies so as to avoid the same mistakes of the past. Works Cited Anderson, Kerby. “Rome and America - How Do We Compare with the Ancient Roman Empire.” Probe Ministries. 2001. Web. 15 Jun. 2014. Brown, Kevin, Nick Dahlen and David Forrest. “Romanization.” University of Oregon. 2009. Web. 15 Jun. 2014. “The Roman Empire.” Devillier Donegan Enterprises. 2006. Web. 15 Jun. 2014. Fears, J. Rufus. “The Lessons of the Roman Empire for America Today.” The Heritage Foundation. 2005. Web. 15 Jun. 2014. Fields, Kathryn. “Fighting for the Empire: Military Morale in the Fourth-Century Roman Army.” Brandeis University (2014): 1-76. Print. Heather, Peter. “Empire and Development: The Fall of the Roman West.” Policy Papers, 2006. Web. 15 Jun. 2014. Hopkins, Keith. “Taxes and Trade in the Roman Empire (200 B.C.-A.D. 400).” The Journal of Roman Studies 70 (1980): 101-125. Print. “Emperors from Augustus to Constantine.” Ostia. n.d. Web. 15 Jun. 2014. Quinn, James. “Decline and Fall of the American Empire.” Rense. 2009. Web. 15 Jun. 2014. Sage, Henry J. “U.S. History I: United States History 1607-1865 Text for History 121.” Northern Virginia Community College. (2010): 1-415. Print. Silvesta, Augusta. “Parallels Between the Roman Kingdom and American Colonies - Lessons from History Series.” Booksie. 2014. Web. 15 Jun. 2014. “Taxes in the Roman Empire.” UNRV. 2014. Web. 15 Jun. 2014. “Ancient Rome.” US History. 2014. Web. 15 Jun. 2014. Read More