We have to find 3 reasons and write 3 paragraphs explaining why the empire fell.
German barbarians-
The German barbarians lived right across from the empire. The Rhine and Danube Rivers separated them. The Germans would attack killing more people. The Roman Empire was losing people quickly because of the Germans and all of the diseases. The Germans also made it hard for the Romans to trade. This hurt the Roman economy. The outer part of Rome was defended well, but once the Germans broke through that layer, there was no one inside the empire to stop them.
Diseases-
There were many diseases that came through the empire and killed many people. Diseases like small pox and measles were common. These diseases killed about half of the population. People couldn't stop these diseases and they spread very quickly around the empire. The people of Rome used public things such as baths and fountains which made it very easy to spread the diseases.
Economic Decrease-
The Germans began to raid Rome. This began to hurt the economy. Many people were also dying from diseases and the population was decreasing fast. The western part of the empire was worse off than the eastern part. The eastern half had a larger population and even after the diseases, they could still survive. Because of the low economy, there was not enough money to pay the army. Rome ended up using barbarians in their army. The prices in Rome increased, but the trade decreased. Many Romans didn't have work because the number of slaves increased. The government had little money and the people had to pay very high taxes.
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