What is meant by

the fall of rome

2004

During period of government of Diocletian , Roman Empire gains more and more features of Western despotism . In order to strengthen the government , to regulate management of provinces Diocletian (284-303 makes complex of reforms

Administrative - he divides empire into Western and Eastern (final division in year 395 territory of Empire is divided into 10 dioceses (120 provinces

Tax - instead of indirect taxes (which were quite numerous and badly-collected ) he promotes the one land- poll-tax in money or natural form (corn , wine , etc

Financial - he starts

promotion of valuable golden coin (together with silver and copper , which were already in use

Military - he divides the army into internal armies , border armies and praetorian guards increases quantity of army for 1 /3 provides recruitment increases the army at account of barbarians

Such reforms although couldn 't stop collapse of colossus with clay legs , which the Roman Empire became in 4-5 centuries , but slowed down its collapse for 1 .5 centuries more . Army , officialdom and Christian church (Christianity becomes the government religion in the 4th century - these are three foundations for Roman Empire of those years

In 476 the chief of German mercenaries uncrowns the last emperor Romulus Augustulus (The Collapse ' Chronology . Title of emperor and the very Empire finishes its existence

The reasons of fall of Rome were as follows

Increase of centrifugal tendencies in provinces

crisis of slave-holding way of manufacturing appearance of elements of feudal society (colonate

Barbarian invasion (Germans , Hunnes , etc

the government changed into giant mechanism which exhausted their nationals , which often met Barbarians not as invaders , but as liberators

Period of antiquity finished `medium evum ' - the new ypoque in the history of mankind started

What were opinions of historians and other prominent people for fall of Rome

Montesquieu saw the main reason of fall in collapse of Roman military valour and simplicity , which was the result of conquest of Rome rich Western countries . The prominent English historian Edward Gibbon (1737-1794 ) wrote a work History of collapse and destruction of Roman Empire ' which has became a classical work . He considers that the Roman Empire represented period , where the humankind was the luckiest and prosperous , especially during the ypoque of Antonines . He analyses the reasons of fall of Rome and presents more then 20 factor , which influenced the process . His common conclusion is simple and categorical the reason is in triumph of Barbarians and religion (Edward Gibbon R . Collingwood related Gibbon 's work to retrograde or historian tendency in historiography of XVIII century for representatives of this tendency the history is only sightseeing of irrational forces

The other researchers of XIX-XX centuries underlined other factors

progressive decrease of population

penetrating of coastal ' antique culture inside the country and its extensive expansion , as a reason of loss intensiveness and coming back to old , natural forms of economy

contradictions between city and village struggle between municipal bourgeoisie ' and lower classes of city and village , which leads to revolution , the expression of which are military rebellions...