The Roman Empire in the West collapsed in the late 14th century after an estimated 500 year ruling the world as a the greatest superpower. According to historians, the collapse was due to several factors ranging from the crippling taxation, military failures to natural disasters and climate change. Other historians also argue that the Roman Empire in the west did not actually crumble in 476 A.D. because the Roman Empire in the East did continue to survive for another several years by being called the Byzantine Empire. The essay provides the reasons why the Roman Empire in the West fell and the advantages the Eastern Roman Empire had over the Western half that enabled it to continue surviving.
The first reason that contributed to the fall of Roman Empire in the West is the invasion of the empire by the Barbarian tribes. The Western Rome collapsed because of a series of military losses it suffered hence reducing its military power. The Western Rome Empire had scrambled with tribes from German and piracy for a long period. However, by the 300s, “barbarian” groups such as the Goths had intruded beyond the borders of the Empire. German tribes fought and defeated the Western Rome Empire.
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Secondly, the Roman Empire in the West fell due to the economic troubles it suffered and its overreliance on labor provided by the slaves. The Roman Empire in the West suffered financial crisis in addition to the attacks it experienced from the outside by other military forces. The supply of slaves to the empire declined after its expansion came to an end in the 2nd century. In addition, the West was ailing economically, agricultural production decreased leading to the increase of high prices of food. The Western half of the Roman Empire experienced a large trade deficit with the Eastern half. During the period, the Western Empire bought expensive goods from the East without anything to give in exchange. This led to lack of money prompting the government to produce more coins that contained less silver. The action led to inflation.
The Eastern Roman Empire continued to flourish after the fall of the Roman Empire to the West. The Eastern Empire also known Constantinople strengthened its military and managed to divert the invasions of the Barbarians to the Western Empire. The Eastern Emperors such as Constantine also made sure that Constantinople city was well guarded and fortifies.
