Fall of the Roman Empire: Rough

The Roman Empire started as a great civilization. Julius Caesar set the city up to prosper.  Also, other emperors expanded and made the Empire into the large power of its age. The problem began when the Nation split into two, the east and the west.  The Empire of Rome started off as a great power and then fell and was changed into a completely different civilization. However, in some ways the Roman Empire was formed into something different.

“As the happiness of a future life is the great object of religion, we may hear, without surprise or scandal, that the introduction, or at least the abuse, of Christianity had some influence on the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.” (Gibbon) The Empire split due to religion. Instead of being in camps worshiping the emperor, people where in synods worshiping their gods. This caused the emperors to get annoyed and Tyranny began. While religion played a large role in the fall of the Roman Empire, it still also lessened the violence. Due to Constantine’s conversion to Christianity, the conquerors of the Roman Empire where mollified.  

“The decay of Rome has been frequently ascribed to the translation of the seat of empire; but this history has already shown that the powers of government were divided rather than removed.”(Gibbon) Rome was not really one empire. It was more so two smaller empires put together, the east and west. The Byzantine Empire, the east, was ruled by one emperor. However, the West side was ruled by a series of emperors.  This set up made the Byzantine Empire slightly stronger and more organized then the west Roman Empire and would eventually be the cause of the Byzantine Empire conquering the Roman Empire.

“But the decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness. Prosperity ripened the principle of decay.” (Gibbon)The Roman Empire collapsed itself. It was surprising that it lasted as long as it did. The military seized the freedom of the republic. Also, the legions in the army challenged the higher class which caused the Emperors to become corrupt. After the emperors where corrupt what good would come for the empire? It was all about the Emperor.

Rome started off as a strong powerful empire. But through many errors in ways and some bad judgment decisions by the Emperors the Empire did fall. The empire splitting in two really started the whole fall of Rome. But, the whole set up of the empire makes it surprising that it ever lasted how long it did. The Roman Empire was once a great civilization but then came crashing down.