"8 Reasons Why Rome Fell" Topic

"In the late fourth century, the Western Roman Empire crumbled after a nearly 500-year run as the world's greatest superpower. Historians have blamed the collapse on hundreds of different factors ranging from military failures and crippling taxation to natural disasters and even climate change. Still others argue that the Roman Empire didn't really fall in 476 A.D., since its eastern half continued for another thousand years in the form of the Byzantine Empire. While just how—and when—the Empire fell remains a subject of ongoing debate, certain theories have emerged as the most popular explanations for Western Rome's decline and disintegration. Read on to discover eight reasons why one of history's most legendary empires finally came crashing down…"
Full article here
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Amicalement
Armand

Makes depressing reading when you line up modern woes with the same problems facing the Romans.

I'd plump for rebellion and civil war. The Western Empire fell because barbarians took over Spain Africa and destroyed its tax base .The reason the barbarians were not crushed on arrival was that the Romans were engaged in civil conflict against usurpers. Once they lost control of the provinces they could no longer afford an army that could crush the tribes each in turn. The rot really set in after Adrianople when Theodosius was unable or unwilling to destroy the Goths, but launched an attack on the Western Empire. That left Alaric effectively independent within the Empire. When the Vandals, Sueves and Alans cross the Rhine in 406 Stilicho cannot deal with them because he is currently facing Roman usurpers and Alaric. After that there are several chances for the Empire, but stronger Emperors such as Majorian get no backing.
As a part of the mix, the Roman rich had become super rich, avoided tax and passed the burden onto the poor who could not escape tax. That led to it being better for the poor to have barbarian rulers than Roman rulers.

Simple and good explanation my friend!.

Amicalement
Armand

I had always figured that someone threw a magic ring into Mt. Vesuvius, but perhaps this is too simplistic.