Essay On The Rise And Fall Of The Roman Empire

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Why do great nations fall? Is it because of plagues, disease, famine, war, or reckless leaders? What even causes it to be a great nation? Whether it’s the size of the empire, the impact it has on the world, or the legacy it leaves, many nations and empires still have a rise and a fall. The Roman Empire was one of the greatest empires in the world. Some might even argue that it was the greatest. All people learn about it in school- its start, its culture, and the effects it has on the world today. People hear about its great leaders such as Augustus, Nero, Julius, and Tiberius. While some leaders were good and some were corrupt, they all conquered and contributed in some way. To this day, many people wonder why the Roman Empire fell and what …show more content…
Diocletian, realizing the empire’s problems, decided to take matters into his own hands. The empire soon became absolute monarchy, being divided into two parts. According to this new order, people were stuck in the social class the were born into, having no hope of a better life. Ramírez said that in 305 B.C., Diocletian retired and the empire was thrown into chaos. Seven years later, Constantine came into power, putting an end to the chaos (189). Following Diocletian, he kept the monarchy, but made his own reforms that would end up changing Rome forever. These reforms included: supporting Christianity and relocating the capital to Constantinople.
During all of these changes, Rome had been under attack from many Germanic tribes. The main cause for their invasions were due to the Huns. The Huns conquered smaller tribes, forcing bigger tribes to invade Rome. In 476, Odoacer, a barbarian commander, removed the emperor in the west, ending the Western Roman Empire (History Alive, 7). After some time, the empire was separated into multiple smaller kingdoms. The Eastern Roman Empire never officially fell, but over 1,000 years later, it was lost among the Byzantine