History

Running Head : Roman Republic /Crusades

The fall of the Roman Republic and the Events Leading to the Crusades

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How and why did the Roman Republic fall

There are several possible factors behind the fall of the Roman Republic . Foremost among these causes was the overexpansion of Roman power . In the context of the Roman Republic , expansion resulted in the severe exhaustion of both natural resources and manpower . Constant wars and invasions overwhelmed and outmatched the republic 's military Although the Roman Republic succeeded in

occupying a certain locality it no longer had the capacity to maintain it , as well as protect it from external invaders (Cleve , 2004

The second likely explanation would be government corruption . The Roman Republic 's territories outside of Italy , such as Sicily , were directly administered by Roman administrators and generals who had nearly unrestricted authority . As a result , these officials frequently abused their positions in to amass great private wealth . Money that was supposed to go to public facilities was instead siphoned into their personal coffers . Poverty ensued , creating an environment that was conducive to the occurrence of internal revolts (Cleve , 2004

Increasing socioeconomic stratification among Romans was the third factor behind the fall of the Roman Republic . The Romans brought their war captives back to Italy , where they were forced to work as slaves in large agricultural holdings . Slave labor eventually contributed to the prosperity of these agricultural estates . Meanwhile , the small independent agricultural proprietors who cannot afford slaves became...