The End of the Western Roman Empire 2.0 - Mia Grant

 Reasons and Theories of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire

In 476 Odoacer, a new Master of the Soldiers, himself of German origin, deposed the Roman emperor, the boy Romulus Augustulus. To many historians, the deposition of Romulus signaled the end of the Roman Empire in the west. Of course, this is only a symbolic date because much of direct imperial rule had already been lost in the course of the fifth century. 

Many theories have been proposed by historians to explain the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. They include the following:

  • Christianity's emphasis on a spiritual kingdom weakened Roman military virtues.
  • Traditional Roman values declined as non-Italians gained prominence in the empire.
  • Lead poisoning through leaden water pipes and cups caused a mental decline in the population.
  • Plague wiped out one-tenth of the population.
  • Rome failed to advance technologically due to slavery.
  • Rome could not create a workable political system.

There may be an element of truth in each of these theories, but history is an intricate web of relationships, causes, and effects. No single explanation can sufficiently explain the fall of a great empire. The Roman army in the west was not able to fend off the hordes of people moving into Italy and Gaul, and the Western Roman Empire collapsed. A series of German kingdoms replaced the Western Roman Empire. In contrast, the Eastern Roman Empire, which would survive for another thousand years, was able to withstand invaders. 


Other websites talk other about another possible theories like:

  • Invasions by Barbarian tribes.
  • Economic troubles and overreliance on slave labor.
  • The rise of the Eastern Empire.
  • Overexpansion and military overspending.
  • Government corruption and political instability.
  • The arrival of the Huns and the migration of the Barbarian tribes.
  • Christianity and the loss of traditional values.
  • Weakening of the Roman legions.

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