Himanshi singh May 19, 2020
One of the most obvious reasons for the downfall of Rome was the relentless and seemingly endless waves of migration and invasions from the Barbarian tribes that bordered Rome's northern frontiers.
The Roman Empire was never totally free of corruption, but it reached its zenith in the 3rd century and onward. Government officials and middlemen became much more interested in their own well-being rather than that of Rome. This made levying taxes and enforcing laws much more difficult.
Climate change is often thought about in the modern context of CO2 emissions and global warming but radical change in global temperature also affected the Romans. In the 5th century CE, the once warm and temperate climate of the Mediterranean and Western Europe became uncharacteristically cold. .
3rd century, the legions, made up of highly dedicated and motivated Roman citizens were a distant memory. As the military expanded to keep up with constant wars and raids from its enemies, it struggled to entice Roman citizens to join the legions to protect their homelands.
Since the time of Augustus, the Roman Empire could never figure out a functional transition of power from one emperor to the next. This often led to civil wars Countless generals, politicians, and wealthy aristocrats would all claim to be the rightful rulers of the empire.
Rome's constant wars with its neighbors did not come cheap. The Roman Empire struggled to pay for its military, needing to constantly raise taxes that many could not pay. This killed any semblance of a "middle class" and it also forced rich landowners to come up with ever-ingenuous ways to hide their wealth. .
The emperors that emerged victorious from disastrous power struggles were not always fit to run the most powerful empire in the world. While Rome did experience a string of decent and competent emperors, in its later years under Diocletian and Constantine, they were the exception to the rule.
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