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Decline of Rome Economic and Military Problems –As government weakened, law, roads and trade routes broke down –Economy worsened, people bought fewer goods –Businesses closed –Inflation – rapid price increases, money losing its value *** People stopped using money and began to barter
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The Fall of Rome
Chapter 10 Lesson 2
The Decline of Rome
• Poor leadership– Severans – emperors, spent most of their
time defending*** Ignored problems of crime and poverty
– 22 Emperors in 50 years
Decline of Rome
• Economic and Military Problems– As government weakened, law, roads and
trade routes broke down– Economy worsened, people bought fewer
goods– Businesses closed– Inflation – rapid price increases, money losing
its value*** People stopped using money and began to
barter
Decline of Rome
• Invaders– lower economy meant less tax money– Fewer taxes meant not paying army enough– Germanic tribes raided Roman cities
Roman Decline
• Diocletian– An emperor in 284– Reforms – political changes – Tried to stop Rome’s decline by:
• Divided Rome into four parts• Ordered workers to stay in job until they died• Set prices of goods and wages
– Reforms failed – people ignored new rules
Rome’s Decline
• Constantine – – Reforms – for workers– New laws– New capital – Byzantium
• Constantinople, now Istanbul, a former Greek city of Byzantium
• The Baptism of Constantine, 1520 - 1524, not by Raphael but by his students.
•
Fall of Rome
• Theodosius– Ended the fighting after Constantine’s death– Divided the empire into two empires: East
(Constantinople) and West (Rome)
Fall of Rome
• Germanic Tribes in search of warmer climates– Visigoths settled in Eastern Roman Empire– Treated poorly by Romans, so rebelled
Visigothic Kingdom c. 500
Fall of Rome
• More and more Germanic tribes entered Roman Empire
• Alaric – Visigoth leader, led the capture of Rome
• Vandals – overran Spain and then Italy• 476 – Germanic general Odoacer over
threw the emperor Augustulus & took control
• No other emperor ruled from Rome
The Vandals sack Rome
Fall of Rome
• Germanic tribes took over Gaul• Christianity started to spread in Europe• By 550, Western Rome had faded away• Eastern Roman Empire prospered for
1000 more years (Byzantine Empire)
Rome’s Legacy
• Spread of Christianity• Roman ideas about government:
***Americans believe a republic is the best form of government
• Building ideas• Codes of laws• English words from Latin• Literature
