Fall of the Roman Empire

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Fall of the Roman Empire

• Chapter 5

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Republic to Empire

• Conquests brought new land to Rome
• Wealthy patricians controlled latifundia, slaves
  were from conquered areas-1/3 of Romeslaves
• Riots and unrest, debt for small farmers, wide
  gap between rich and poor, landless flock to
  cities
• Corruption and greed in Senate

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Reforms

• Too late, too little
• Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus-plebeian brothers
  elected to Assembly
• Wanted land redistribution, public grain to feed
  poor
• Killed by Senate

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Legions turn on Rome

• Soldiers more loyal to commander than to Rome
• Generals with loyal armies could march to Rome
  and take over
• One didJulius Caesar
• Popular general from province of Gaul
• Told to disband army and return to Rome
• Returned and forced Senate to make him dictator
• Veni, vidi, vici

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Dictator Julius Caesar 48-44bc

• Made many reformspoor loved him
• Put poor to work with public projects
• Gave more citizenship to conquered areas
• New calendarJulian Calendarstill ours?
• No heiradopts grandnephew Octavian
• Enemies in Senate plotted to murder him in March
  44bc
• Octavian fights for powerand wins in 31bc
• Check out chart on p. 159 Republic vs. Empire

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Why Star Wars is a good analogy

• The galaxy had a republic with senators (Padme?)
  Episode I and II
• Some senators were corrupt and greedy(Palpatine?)
• Some senators went to the Dark Side
• They fought with the good people (Jedi?)
• Anakin kills Mace Windu and the Padawans?
• Palpatine becomes the Emperor
• Republic overthrown and Empire begins
• Episode III, IV,V,and VI

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Octavian

• Senate declares him exalted oneAugustus
• Ruled with absolute powerRepublic dead
• Set up a stable empire
• Left Senate to enforce laws
• Top jobs based on merit
• Set up census to have records for taxing
• Postal service, chased pirates, protected roads,
  entertained poor with breadcircuses
• Death games (The Hunger Games?)
• Pax Romana until 180 AD
• Ends with Marcus Aureliusphilosopher-king

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Judaism

• Rome had tolerated levels of diversity
• Allowed worship of other religions
• Jews had lived in Roman world in province of
  Judea
• Some Jews content to live under Roman rule, some
  (Zealots) were not
• Zealots wanted to revolt and break away from Rome
• 66-70 AD Rome crushed rebels, destroyed temple in
  Jerusalem, The Diaspora

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Christianity

• Firmly rooted in teachings of Judaism
• Some Jews believed Jesus-Messiah
• Romans viewed him as a political threat
• Arrested and put to death, followers threatened,
  they refused to honor Roman gods
• Roman emperor Nero used Christians as
  scapegoatsthose killed called martyrs
• Conversion continued
• Greek for messiah-ChristosChristians
• Eventually becomes official religion of Rome

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Rome too bigsplits in 284 AD

• Diocletian creates Western and Eastern
  EmpireRome and Byzantium
• Emperors overthrown and assassinated
• Emperor Constantine tolerated Christians and
  renamed ByzantiumConstantinople
• Later makes it official religion
• Invaders attack Roman bordersAttila the Hun and
  Germanic tribes
• Surrendered Britain, France, and Spain
• Rome attacked and sacked in 476 AD by Odoacer the
  Visigoth

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Why did Western Rome slow motion crumble?

• Mercenaries were hired to defend borders not
  loyal or well trained enough/terrorism of tribes
• Roadseasy to invade
• Political corruption and disruptionemperors
  easily overthrown not stable
• Slave labor slowed technological advances
• Gap between rich and poor too great
• Basic Roman values had declined-discipline and
  loyalty
• Bread and Circus mentality enabled poor
• Climate change ruined crops? P. 179 chart

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Legacy of the Roman Era

• Mosaic design
• Realistic sculpturenot just the ideal
• Oratorypersuasion through speech
• Romance (Roman) languagesvia Latin (French,
  Spanish, Italian)
• Cement
• Awesome road construction-Appian Way
• Arch, dome, vaulted ceilings
• Aqueduct, surgical instruments (scalpels)
• Forks, shaving, general hygiene (baths)
• Representative democracy, senators, wills, 12
  Tables, citizensequal treatment under law
• Military strategy-legions
• Modern life carries imprint of Roman
  achievements

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