Did the Roman Empire "Fall"?

            Throughout years and years, people have been wondering if the Roman Empire really did fall. Recently there has been evidence to support that the once all-powerful empire did indeed fall. Now the real question is why and how did it fall? Researchers say Rome fell from the lack of ability to fight off invaders, the split of the empire into two, a failing economy, Christianity, or there were just too many problems that finally led to the collapse. The Roman Empire did fall, but the exact reason why is still unknown.

            Most books and articles say the empire finally fell in 476 A.D. but there is no way to determine the exact year it collapsed. (http://www.tamos.net/~rhay/romefall.html).  One of the theories that Rome fell was that the army wasn’t strong enough anymore to fend off invaders trying to sack the city. (http://www.fsmitha.com/com/Rome.htm). Eventually Barbarian invaders like the Visigoths, Vandals and the Huns took over the city. (http://www.roman-colosseum.info/roman-empire/reason-why-the-roman-empire-fell.htm). The way the Barbarians got into the city was not really an invasion.  For many years, they were known as foreigners. The government didn’t try to throw them out because they were keeping Rome alive. These Barbarians wanted to live in Rome, because it was a safe home. They were safe from the Barbarian tribe, the Huns. The Huns were a very violent group, and the other tribes were afraid of the Huns. (http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/1320hist&civ/chapters/08ROMFAL.htm). Barbarian invasions were one of the ways Rome might have fell.

            When the Roman Empire kept expanding, it grew too big for one person to control and experienced many economic problems. In the late third century, East and West Rome was born. The Eastern half was more Greek and the Western part was mostly Latin. They always claimed to stick together and stay Roman but as the years went on, they slowly grew apart. (http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/fallofrome/a/Dorrington.htm).The separation of the empire might have led to the fall of Rome. (http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/romefallarticles/a/fallofrome.htm). This is because the two halves were hard to control and it was easy for people to invade these areas. This separation seemed like a good idea at the time, and the rulers were so desperate to safe Rome they had to do something, but it may have led to the Roman Empire collapsing.

            When Jesus was born, he taught about God band spread a new religion called Christianity. This religion was the newest thing and it seemed like everyone wanted to be a part of it. It appealed to many people who weren’t necessarily Jewish. Christianity slowly spread throughout the Western world eventually leading to Rome. (http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/1320hist&civ/chapters/08ROMFAL.htm).   The spread of Christianity into Rome is said to have made it collapse. The main problem wasn’t the religion; it was a balance of powers. When the church was established, it was so big, the bishops tried to control the government as well. There was major confusion between the emperors and the leaders of the church. More problems came from this eventually leading to the separation of the empire, Barbaric invasions, and finally the collapse of the Roman Empire. (http://www.helium.com/items/1171902-christianity-and-the-fall-of-rome). The religion of Christianity itself did not make Rome fall, but it led to other issues in the empire.

            I personally believe that it was a number of problems in the Roman Empire that made it collapse. There is not one thing that could make something completely fall apart. At one point, Rome was a very strong empire that controlled most of the known world. The leaders began to think nothing could stop them, which is, in my opinion, what collapsed Rome. Just when someone begins to think nothing can happen that would make them loose their power is when they collapse.

            In 476 A.D., the Roman Empire fell. The reason why is still not known. Many think it was from the balance of powers, Barbaric invasions, or the spread of Christianity. I think it was a combination of all of these things. There is no way one thing could break such a strong power, but without knowing it, a group of relatively small issues did.

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Picture From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_Empire.JPG