Premium Essay

Why Do Empires Fall

Submitted By
Words 1042
Pages 5
Throughout human history there have been empires that have risen, and although many have left their marks on the way the modern world is today, all just the same have fallen. Empires such as the Roman Empire, the Persian Empire, the Mongol Empire, and the Mesopotamian Empire were very successful during their rule; however fell soon after the deaths of their most powerful rulers. Why is it, that it is easier to create an empire than it is to make one last? First, the way empires are created is by one state conquering it’s weaker neighboring states, becoming stronger and more powerful, which allows it to continue to conquer and to continue to grow. However at what point do empires stop becoming a dominant power, which leads to their fall? …show more content…
For instance, the larger the empire is the farther the battles become from home. This issue can cause problems within the soldiers who are doing the conquering, for they could run out of supplies, may begin to rebel because they miss their homes and families, or sometimes the army is divided in half fighting two wars at opposite borders. When this occurs, it makes it hard to keep a unity between those who are in command and those who are being commanded, as well as, the people who have been conquered. For although in most empires, states that were conquered were able to stay independent, just adhering to some new laws imposed by the new reigning empire, actually having a central government for the entire stretch of an empire was virtually impossible. And as power was divided into what had been thought as an easier way to keep control, greed began to grow. An example of this was the Roman Empire after Alexander’s death, since he did not leave a known heir to the empire, military generals took their men and started creating their own states, fighting civil wars against the men whom they had fought beside, power hungry, with the quest of someday being the heads of their own empires. All in all, returning what once was a great empire into what it first started as, hundreds of smaller

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Film Analysis - Why Do Fools Fall in Love

...Why Do Fools Fall In Love is the 116 minute true story of 3 women, from 3 different worlds, all with one thing in common – the same husband. 50’s rock-n-roll icon Frankie Lymon, former lead singer of Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers. Each claiming to be the widow of the long-dead singer/songwriter, the ladies have returned to claim the royalties due to his estate. Director Grevory Nava and Warner Brothers present a biographical film, filled with various elements of film technique such as its narrative form, mise en scene, and cinematography, of the brief and intense life of Frankie Lymon and the women who loved him. In the opening scene, you see a grainy video of doo-wop singers in black and white that are singing “Why Do Fools Fall In Love.” The scene fades, transitioning the music sung by a male group in the 50’s, to the voice of Diana Ross in present time. The scene’s setting is now placed in what appears to be a women’s penitentiary. Mickey – played by Vivica Fox – asks for a lawyer, whom she later explains to that Frankie Lymon wrote the song Diana Ross is turning gold again and is also being used in movies/commercials. “I’m his wife, so I should be getting paid, right?” (Why Do Fools). With news out about a wife of Frankie Lymon coming to claim his royalties, two other women, Zola (Halle Berry’s character), and Emira (played by Lela Rochon), have also surfaced with the same allegation of being his wife. The rest of the movie is dedicated to each female proving who is really...

Words: 994 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Clique John Heywood Analysis

...the Roman Empire in one day, nevertheless the real question is how could one of the most powerful ancient empires fall? Over the years, historians have attributed the fall of the Roman Empire to many different factors. I believe that immigration played the biggest role in the fall of the Roman Empire...

Words: 1106 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Why Did The Han Empire's Fall?

...Why did the Han Empire fall? One of the reason the Han Empire fell was because of the financial problem they had. The government was not financially stable. They were spending too much money on things that were not the necessary needs. Another big part of why they fell was because of all of the natural disasters they had. They had 42 floods in 400 years. Their government could not prepare for disasters like that which also lead to them going broke. All of these disasters and misuse of money mad all of the peasant mad. The peasant got very mad and started to rebel to government and want to do things their way. The Han Empire fell because of the attacks and disasters that kept reoccurring. The Rome Empire was one of the largest empires at the time. The Roman Empire’s fall happened over long time period. The Roman Empire was very large and over populated. Overpopulated cities caused many diseases. When diseases broke out in the Roman Empire it eliminated many of the people who lived on the streets and didn’t have permanent house to live in. The Roman Empire’s Government was have a very hard time dealing with their finances. It took a lot of money to maintain troops on the...

Words: 483 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Cultural Identity or Strickt Laws

...Laws History has seen many Empires, their prosperities and downfalls. There were Empires, which had controlled great territories, had amazing culture and had left the great trace in the world history. In general almost every empire had the same story, but the two most significant empires were Roman and Chinese empires. The two had left most enormous traces in History. Roman and Chinese empires had many similarities and differences, but the Roman Empire lasted for only 500 years, while Chinese empire lasted for about 16 centuries. Actually Chine as an Empire had never ruined, it just transformed into a Republic of Chine in 1912. There was simple advantage of Chinese empire over Roman that made it everlasting, China as an Empire was united not only by the laws and military force but also by the culture, ideology and religion, what made Chinese empire one whole nation, whereas Romans were only united by the military forces and not by the cultural heritage that made Chinese empire so united. There are many theories why did Roman Empire collapsed, some of them might seem stupid for example some people think that Romans went crazy because they used led in pots and they ate food which was cooked in pots made of led, so they were poisoned by led and that’s why this huge Empire ruined. Despite these kinds of theories, almost every scholar and historian says that Rome failed as an Empire because of military exhaust, the new religion in the Empire, the division of society, economic...

Words: 1001 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Why Did The Fall Of Rome Dbq

...civilizations and empires. At one point, Rome had the entire Mediterranean under their control. It had one of the greatest armies, logical architecture, and beautiful art. So why did the great empire fall? Despite being a great civilization, Rome still had it’s fair share of problems to deal with in their own way. First of all, disease and disasters would be a problem for any of the great civilizations in the Mediterranean. The measles, a rash and blight of the Roman Empire, spread throughout most empires concerning even the greats like Rome. Not to mention Rome was home to some traumatizing natural disasters including the earthquake...

Words: 466 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Life of Realigion

...Decline of the Roman/Han/Gupta Empires Diverse Interpretations Assignment COMPARISONS TO FOCUS ON: * The causes for the decline of the Roman, Han and Gupta Empires * Understanding of how and why the collapse of the empire was more severe in Western Europe than it was in the Asian Empires. * Comparison of the role that religions played in the declines * The impact of missionary outreach of the Christians and Buddhists in these empires RESOURCES * Upshur – “The Decline of Empires” * Stearns - Decline of Empires. * Frank Smitha - “Decline and Fall” * Johnson and Johnson – “Why Don’t Empires Last?” * Spodek – “China and Rome: How do they compare?” * Bulliet pages 168-170 and 186-189. ASSIGNMENT 1. Construct a Venn comparing and contrasting the causes for decline of the Roman, Han and Gupta empires. Information will come from the documents and not the lecture…you already wrote the lecture notes once, why write them again? Rome Han similarities Gupta 2. Write 3 comparative analytical mini-paragraphs about the decline of empires. (generalization, facts, analysis…) Remember that analysis answers the question “why?” Example: The AP World History teachers have very different tastes in beverages. Ms. Forswall likes tea while Ms. Patch likes cola. Green tea and Earl Grey are Ms. Forswall’s favorites; they taste nothing like Pepsi or Coke because soft drinks are much sweeter. Ms. Patch usually chooses a diet style of...

Words: 7121 - Pages: 29

Premium Essay

Stone Ages Dbq Analysis

...to 2000 BCE we don’t call it year 8700 BCE to 2000 BCE it was named specifically The Stone Ages, so why shouldn’t the middle ages be named as well because of its experiences? The middle ages were years where many Europeans became uncivilized and began to lose their culture and morals this happened between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance when culture began to fade away by the second causing darkness to arise and take over. So it would seem appropriate to title the middle ages as a time of cultural decay and decline but others beg to differ. Believe...

Words: 894 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Rise and Fall of Rome

...The Rise and Fall of Rome The Economics Behind an Empire 4/18/2013 ECO 120 Seb Jaramillo The Rise and Fall of Rome To many people, the ancient world has always been a topic of great interest and study. The ancient world is essentially the explanation for how the world ended up where it is today. Our ancestors laid down the foundation that would help form and mold today’s civilization and the way people live out their lives in modern times. Perhaps no civilization of the past did more for the future than the efforts and contributions of the Roman Empire. For almost a millennia, the Romans controlled the vast majority of the world. Their Empire made it possible to spread wealth and knowledge to the far corners of the world and lay down a base common knowledge that helped pave the path for people to follow. This paper shall look into the background of Rome and see what economic forces helped lead to the formation of such a formidable empire. What allowed these people to become so wealthy and construct a vast territory? Why was it easy for the Romans to do so much while many other nations are still set back in our day and age? The paper shall also look at the forces at work near the end of the Western Empire that brought an end to the glory and majesty of Rome and how this knowledge can perhaps produce a means of prevention of the same fate for the United States. The city of Rome became a Republic around the year 509 BC. By the end of the first century BC Rome controlled...

Words: 3070 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Ancient Rome Paper

...Long essay How Christianity affected the empire * Think in term of centuries * Constantine Germans, army, borders * German influence lead to the end of the empire * Battle of Adrianople Germans beat romans * Start taking parts of Rome * Bad emperors in west * Bad economy lets Germans in   Short essay The splitting of the empire * Why do they split * Why does the west fall * How are they different in culture, language * West has bad emperors * East pays people no to invade Emergence of absolute autocracy * Augustus * Power of the emperor Who is the most important person in second triumvirate * Augustus * Sets of empire * What world did he create with reforms * Makes it seem like he is going back to old time values     Dates Edict of toleration 313 AD Founding of Constantinople 330 AD Fall of western Rome (fall of the roman empire) 476 AD Start of the empire 27 BCE When Germans sacked Rome 410 CE??       Study 11-5 to present     Christianity Chronology 64 First persecution of Christians under Emperor Nero 274 Birthdat of Constantine 303 Great Persecution begins and Diocletion issues edict that bans the practice of christianity 312 Constantine embraces christianity after vision 313 Edict of Milan tolerates christians 324 Constantine is sole emperor of Rome 326 Edicts of Constantine against Christian heretics 330 Constantinople "New Rome" 341 Imperial...

Words: 1478 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Safavid Empires

...“The Rise and Fall Of Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal Empires” In the past, there have been many dominant and weak empires that have risen and fallen. The major three, which this applies to is the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires. These empires were vigorous and had its high and low points. Something that they all have in common is that they come from Turkic origin. They also had a strong influence of Persian traditions in their military and families. On the other hand, the way their kings ruled, meaning what religion they allowed to be practiced, how women were treated and other things were different. Because of this, there were positive and negative effects of these empires falling. To begin, the Ottoman Empire began in the late 1200’s...

Words: 776 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Fall of the Mayan Empire

...The Fall of the Mayan Empire Naomi M. Cranfield Prof. Hunsucker Hum 111 February 2, 2013 The Maya civilization was several independent city states which shared a cultural heritage of language, customs, dress, artistic style and material culture. They were located in the Central American continent, to include parts of Belize, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. It was an area of approximately 150,000 square miles. Some of the better known city states were Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol and Dos Pilas. There were several strong kings at those locations, but none of them ever truly conquered the others. The city states traded with one another, and they also warred with one another from time to time. The population has been estimated to have been millions. In the 1600s, the Spanish reported that there were approximately 600,000 people living in the Yucatan peninsula alone. Each of the larger cities probably had populations in excess of 100,000. That doesn't count the rural sectors that supported the larger cities. But what happened to such a large culture that they seemed to have disappeared in such a short span of time? There have been so many concepts as to why the Maya civilization fell, but one of the more interesting and in my opinion more plausible beliefs has to do with a severe change in climate. ("The rise and," 2004) “Tom Sever, NASA's only archeologist, has been using satellites to examine the Mayan ruins. Combining those data with conventional down-in-the-dirt...

Words: 563 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Magnetic Hegemony Analysis

...social, economic, and political influence over other nations within the international community, Hegemony is formed. Between the periods of 600 to 1450 CE, one nation to entirely dominate the globe was impossible for due to the distance issues, and they did not have the resources and the ability to communicate to support empires to maintain their conquered lands and people. Such empires like, Mongol Empire and Islamic caliphates' inability to control their large territories caused the empires to fall. Therefore, due to the obstacles the empires faced, an empire with great power could best occupy a strong regional hegemony during this time period. China was the nation with the most powerful...

Words: 423 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Batman

...Matt Belcher Darket and Slingerland Humanity October 29, 2015 America’s strong! America is one of the strongest in the world, but Rome was at one point as well. America has many strong components that can keep it from falling just like Rome did. This great land has its faults but it also has things to keep it properly functioning and keeps having tourists visiting from all over the world. It is the land of the free and nothing can or will change the fact of that. If there is a thing that does make America fall it is the diversity within its border. The Roman Empire was a strong civilization but ended by tearing itself apart from diversity. Although America has that problem it can make up with the strong military, a powerful leadership, and a strong economy to keep America strong and stable. America may as well be the strongest that there ever was or ever will be. Its military is like no other and pretty much unstoppable. It was recorded in “2010 that there was at least 3 million people that was in the American military! America could be like the Persians up against the Spartans because it’s that strong. If America is to go it’s better to burn out in glory then to go down without a glimpse of hope. The strongest and the best have to die some time, even if America fights with the best soldiers they still have a chance of losing everything. There are many similarities and differences between the United States and Rome. Both were and are major powers in society. They also...

Words: 1047 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

What Was the One Main Reason Why Rome Ceased Being a Republic and Became an Empire

...! ! “After reading 10 papers by other students – one on each of the assigned books – what was the one main reason why Rome ceased being a Republic and became an Empire? What relevance does this have to modern America? Take the “God and Gold” book into account.” The Roman Republic was doing well from its beginning in 510 BC: it developed a good form of government: the senate, legislative assemblies and the executive magistrates. It had won a lot of its adjacent territory, and had great leaders. These great leaders brought more quality to the Rome Republic but as other great leaders, some of them wanted more. Human beings have always been driven by ambition; it has always existed and always will. This is the instinct that drives people to invent new goods or go through new paths. The ambition of its leaders and the fear of its people lead to the fall of Roman Republic in conjunction with the decisions the Senate made in these times. ! The ambition of Julius Caesar can be seen throughout his actions1. When Britain was invaded by Rome twice in 55 BC, the troops were headed by him. The first time, Caesar was unsuccessful at capturing Britain. Caesar did not give up, his ambition brought him back a second time, making a deal with the king Mandubracius and successfully securing part of Britain for Rome. After this battle Caesar, got to cease power over Rome in a clash against Pompey and the Senate2. Later, he was promoted to “dictator in perpetuity.” This great ambition brought...

Words: 837 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Live For The Eternal Cities Of Rome Analysis

...#12 Mr. Knerr Western Civilization (H) 4 30 October, 2015 Live for the Eternal Things What many people think of as the greatest empire in history proved to be finite, and this fact is one that has prompted many scholars to wonder if any empire, possibly America, could ever prove to be the real eternal city on Earth. In 410 AD, Visigoth leader Alaric and his armies sacked Rome. This defeat was a momentous event in Rome’s downfall, as it put an end to the “Eternal” Roman Empire. Christian convert and author Augustine wrote City of God, which described his reaction to the fall of Rome and his view of Rome being a corrupted city, when compared to the infinite and eternal City of God. While Augustine believed that the City of God and City of Man were independent of each other, his former pupil, Orosius, believed that the City of God worked within the City of Man. Orosius, although he was taught by Augustine, held a different view than his teacher. Orosius viewed Rome to be an eternal city that was favored by the City of God and he believed that the City of God and City of Man were connected. Augustine's ideas...

Words: 933 - Pages: 4