The fall of the Roman Empire

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The Roman Empire was one of the greatest empires known to mankind. Unfortunately it had a decline due to invaders, economic problems, and the constant fighting for the throne.

The Roman army along the frontiers managed to protect the Romans for years. Beginning in 161 A.D, some enemies broke across the frontiers to invade the Roman Empire. This became a serious problem for the Romans.

Along the empires borders lived tribes of Germanic people who lived peacefully with the Romans. Some of these Germanic people became allies and joined the army in return for land and a salary.

Then in the 300s thousands of Germanic began seeking refuge within the empire to escape the Huns. Roman border patrols were unable to limit the numbers of barbarians entering the empire during the migration. The hostile barbarians were able to enter the empire and keep their weapons. Barbarian invaders reached deep inside the empire and began to destroy and lute. This contributed to the fall of the empire.

To complicate the situation a struggle for political control was occurring in the empire. Many of them were generals who, with their armies, took the throne by force. Rivals for the throne began to promise higher salaries, but this strained the treasury.

The combination of barbarian invasion and fighting between Roman armies for control of the empire ruined the countryside. Such uneasiness made it very difficult for farmers to produce enough food. Shortage of food resulted in making available food very costly.

In an attempt to cope with the economic problems the empire minted more coins, but because government stores of gold and silver had been reduced, the new coins were filled with worthless metal. The new coins were worth less than the old ones. If the people had been willing to accept the new coins at their face value, minting the coins might have solved the financial troubles of the empire, but the people would not do so, instead they charged more coins.

The Roman Empire was one of the greatest empires though out history. Over the years its government became corrupt and ambiguously moral. The lack of morals is what caused the fall of the Roman Empire.

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