The Roman Empire was between 27 BCE and 476 CE, The Roman Empire began when Augustus Caesar became the first Emperor of Rome. During Caesars rule he had political and military control. He also secured Rome’s borders making it the greatest powers of that time period. Six other emperors would follow continuing Caesars policies. Eventually the Empire grew to be so large that Rome’s government could not effectively rule. In the third century the Roman Empire was split in half, creating the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire. Unfortunately, in time, Rome’s long thriving rein would end due to a failing economy, the start of Christianity, and Germanic invasions.
The first major cause of the fall of Rome was inflation. Between tax policies, government spending, and a series of civil wars the empire deteriorated. Military spending had a huge impact on Rome. The Empire often raised taxes to uphold their very expensive army which took away from quality roads and housing. This led to extreme inflation. The flow of gold into the economy eventually began to decrease, making the coins worth almost nothing. To make up for this huge loss in value, the price of goods went up and many people could not afford it. People began to barter food and clothing to get what they needed.
The second and most noted cause of the fall of Rome was the rise in Christianity. The Christian religion was far more different than the traditional Roman religion. In fact, it was the complete opposite of the Roman religion. Christians believed and served one God while the Romans served many. Christian’s beliefs were very popular among the poor. In 313 CE Constantine declared toleration for Christianity. Christianity eventually became the official state religion of the Empire. This change in policy spread Christianity to every corner of the Empire.
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