The Fall of the Roman Empire Occurred due to a wide Variety of Reasons
A lot of people blame the initiation of Christianity. It turned a lot of Romans into pacifists, leaving them unable to defend Rome against attacks from barbarians. Money that could have been used to help maintain the Roman Empire was used to build churches. Another cause may have been the decline of morals and values in Rome. During Pax Romana there were about 32,000 prostitutes in Rome. Emperors like Caligula and Nero became famous for throwing lavish parties where guests drank and ate till they were sick. Gladiator games in the Colosseum inspired bloodlust.
There was also a decline in public health. The wealthy started using lead pipes to have water pumped to their houses. The lead pipes contaminated the water which led to a lot of wealthy people dying. The constant contact of the people living on the streets increased the spread of disease. Alcohol also increased the incompetency of the general populus.
Another reason was political corruption. Part of it came from choosing a new emperor. The Romans never developed a consistent system for choosing an emperor. When the army took over, they started selling the throne to the highest bidder, Which led to a lot of assassinations.
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