The Fall of Rome: An Examination of Economic and Social Factors

This essay examines the economic and social factors that led to the decline and eventual fall of the Western Roman Empire. It highlights the immense social and economic disparities within Roman society, particularly the vast wealth held by the elite and the struggles of the poor. The essay explores the impact of the overreliance on slavery and the oppressive taxation policies implemented by Roman authorities, which exacerbated societal divisions. These factors, coupled with economic instability, ultimately contributed to the fragmentation and collapse of the Roman Empire. The essay references relevant sources to support its arguments and provide a comprehensive analysis of this pivotal historical event. The essay provides a detailed overview of the content, referencing the economic and social factors that led to the decline and eventual fall of the Western Roman Empire.

The Fall of Rome

Table of Contents
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

MAIN BODY
The fall of the Western Roman Empire was the process of the decline of the Roman
Empire to enforce its own rule, through which vast territories that previously belonged to the
mighty empire divided into several successor polities. This resulted in a loss of strength of the
Roman Empire which also included other factors such as the health and numbers of Roman
population and army, strength of Roman economy, competence of Roman authorities and the
efficiency of the Roman civil administration, which had been the marvel of the entire world up
until the Fall of Rome.
Extreme differences in social classes
Though historians attribute various diverse reasons all of which accumulated into the
incident that we come to call the Fall of Rome, one of the most significant reasons that
contributed towards the decline and collapse of the Roman Empire is that of the immense
differences between the Roman population with respect to their economic prowess and the
overreliance of Roman authorities on slavery.
Prior to the fall of Rome, the Roman population was increasing divided on economic
lines, with the rich possessing too much money and power, while the poor barely able to make
ends meet (White, 2016). Add this to the overreliance of Rome on slavery and the horrible
conditions of slavers gives you an idea of the immense divide in Roman population.
The fall of Rome occurred due to the oppressive taxation policies by Roman authorities,
which were impossible for the lower sections of Roman people to adhere to and divided the
society, exacerbated when the Roman economy failed due to external fights and wars.
All these factors culminated to the total division of the Roman population on various
economic, social grounds which was the reason for the Fall of Rome.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
White, L.A., 2016. The evolution of culture: the development of civilization to the fall of Rome.
Routledge.