The Roman Empire: Will America Fall Too?
Madalyn
Rome was one of the greatest empires, and its downfall hit the rest of the ancient world hard. Most believe that it was only overthrown, but lots led up to the opportunity for another to be able to seize the massive Empire. Economic and slavery troubles, the overuse of money, decrease in the army size, and religion all had an impact. America could have some of the same problems. Will America be “overthrown” too?
The Economy: The Roman economy was an agrarian and slave based economy. It was complex, but not as complex as today’s. Taxes were harsh, and not all could pay for it by farming. Farmers also had the choice to donate food to the government. The given food would feed the legions or other citizens, but only gave the farmer popularity. They still had to pay for taxes, and many could not gain enough profit. Citizens became dependent on the free grain, or the imports from surrounding countries. This was also more than Rome could afford.
There had been a major trade of goods from all over Africa, Asia, and Europe. Rome would spend so much gold on exotic silks or spices, and eventually, didn’t have enough gold to make Denarii. The sheer size of the Empire also became a problem. It was incredibly hard to govern, and being so large may have helped gain more crops, but didn’t help when all of the people across Rome had to be fed on nothing. When agriculture began to decrease, this became a problem for Rome. Too much money was being spent trading, and eventually they had nothing to exchange for the mass amounts of expensive goods that they were taking in. To try and fix this problem, more coins were made with a cheaper silver, leading to inflation, and an even more difficult situation.
Slave Labor and Armies: Rome is most famously known for its armies. But when Roman life became more centered around education and family, the
loyalty to the Empire also weakened. “In a Roman mindset, it was necessary to belong.” The Romans entire economy was built on the back of slaves, and most of them were from the surrounding countries or empires. Rome also imported more things than what was being exported, and soon Rome’s supply of slaves and other war treasures began to run out. They would let in foreigners, but treat them with much cruelty. The barbarians who were forced to work or had their children forced to work ended up to hurt Rome during its decline. They were also struggling in their military area. Under the rule of emperors Diocletian and Constantine, the military was losing numbers. They started to hire foreign mercenaries to fight in their legions. The ranks soon swelled with Germanic Goths or other Barbarians. While they were powerful soldiers, they had little or no loyalty to the empire. The “Power-hungry officers often turned against their Roman employers.” Most of the barbarians who had attacked the western Empire and sacked Rome had served in the Legions and had earned military stripes. Eventually, there was no way to block the other barbarians were still surging in through the borders.
“In a Roman mindset, it was necessary to belong.”