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Western Roman Empire Research Paper

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Western Roman Empire encompassed the western regions of the Roman Empire while the Eastern part was later renamed as the Byzantine Empire. It is noteworthy that the two were not separate as such, but rather had independent Imperial courts. Despite enjoying a period of growth, independence, and prosperity, the collective empire collapsed due to some reasons that include: military failures, natural disasters, and civil wars, among others. There are ranging debates that exist and un-conclusive arguments regarding the fall of the empire. However, the reasons for its fall are known with the two showing similarities and differences.
The Western empire collapsed in the 5th century after about 500 years of its existence.
Some historians argue that …show more content…
It is noteworthy that the leadership spent enormous resources in financing the wars. The matter resulted in a financial crisis, with the government resorting to over-taxation as approaches to get finances. Further, the empire faced inflation with an increasing economic, between the wealthy and the poor. To avoid taxation, several affluent families moved out of the kingdom and established their own. The move denied the kingdom important class of people that created socio-economic opportunities. The empire also experienced labor shortage. It is notable that the country depended heavily on the slaves to work in the fields. Labor shortage also affected the military resources. When the Vandals took control of the North African region, the empire was denied an important route for trade. As such, commercial and agricultural activities reduced significantly hence contributing to the loss of the empire's grip on the European region. Social differences among the citizens meant that the socio-economic and political power was non-uniform. The matter opened room for poor governance, corruption, and manipulation of social institutions. As a result, the empire had weak social structures whereas the leaders sought for policies that would serve their …show more content…
There were many times in the history of Rome when the leaders were undecided as to the determination of successors to their thrones. Even though the legal code was updated, the Byzantine Empire retained many of Roman laws and its heritage. The official language of the region remained as Latin in the beginning and was changed to Greek later on. It is important to note that Roman culture was very influential; it shaped the political structure of the vast region. Romans worshiped gods and goddesses for every event and occasion, using them for balancing good and evil and keeping human happy as well. The basic impetus for the Byzantine and Roman Empires was their political structure and social environment. The fall of the western empire contributed to the rise of a new kingdom, the Holy Roman Empire. The new empire was multi-ethnic, spanning until its dissolution in 1806. It was largely a Christian Empire that was re-introduced through the principle of translation

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