Why the Western Roman Empire Fell
The Roman Empire seemed invincible but by the middle of the 2 century, it began to unravel and many factors were to blame for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
Edward Gibbon, a well known historian summed it up in these words:
“This long peace, and the uniform government of the Romans, introduced a slow and secret poison into the vitals of the empire. The minds of men were gradually reduced to the same level, the fire of genius was extinguished, and even the military spirit evaporated”
In 166 a terrible plague crossed the empire plummeting it into turmoil. Eventually the Praetorian Guard sold the position of Emperor to the highest bidder, in 192. The winner didn’t last long but the next guy did. He was an army commander named Septimius Severus. He ruled well for 14 years and was successful in defending the borders. Severus was succeeded by three family members. One son murdered another son, only to be assassinated himself. After that there was a succession of corrupt, inept rulers and civil war.
Things went from bad to worse after that with increasing divisions among the people, especially between the rich and the poor. To make it worse the government levied heavy taxes to pay for the civil wars, defense of the borders and general maintenance of the empire. These taxes were next to impossible for people to pay. Many Romans lost their patriotism due to the higher taxes, they found it was cheaper to live without the empire.
All of these factors played a big part in causing the Roman government to become corrupted and weak.
Click HERE to see an excellent timeline from Google of the Roman Empire
