Did the citizens of Rome become too satisfied and lazy, allowing the empire to crumble due to neglect?

Answer 1

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/history/fall.htm

Answer 2

Most work in the empire was done by slaves. There was a minority of very wealthy citizens, but most were extremely poor. The government held off revolts through "bread and circuses," i.e. by giving people free bread and free entertainment (chariot races in the Circus Maximus, gladiator fights and other events in the Colosseum).

When Rome was a republic, its army was composed of citizens who had a personal stake in its well-being. Later, the citizen army was replaced by an army of mercenaries, many of whom were completely untrustworthy, especially against a strong enemy. Thus, what was once the world's most powerful army became weak.

A weak empire meant that Rome was no longer able to expand, drying up an important source of slaves and other booty. Formidable opponents, especially in the east, also limited its ability to expand.

The Roman economy was weakened by foreign trade deficits. Gold and silver were sent to China to buy silk; the Roman currency had to be devalued.

Dividing the empire was supposed to make it easier to govern and rule, but I have not seen any evidence that it worked that way.

Infighting for power, and the fact that almost all the latter emperors assumed power after murdering their predecessors undoubtedly weakened the empire. People must have felt very cynical about their leaders, and they certainly could not have felt much loyalty.

Answer 3

Citizens In Rome

Answer 4

the decline of rome is not becuase of its citizens... rather it was the governing body at that time. remember that rome was an empire due east and west, too big to govern due to several states it has. after the death of constantine, the west and east were being led by governor- kings (both of whom were weak in leadership).

here's an excerpt from, wikipedia:

Fall of the Empire and rise of the Papacy

With the rise of early Christianity, the Bishop of Rome gained religious as well as political importance, eventually becoming known as the Pope and establishing Rome as the centre of the Catholic Church. After the Sack of Rome (410) by Alaric I and the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, Rome alternated between Byzantine rule and plundering by Germanic barbarians. Its population declined to a mere 20,000 during the Early Middle Ages, reducing the sprawling city to groups of inhabited buildings interspersed among large areas of ruins and vegetation. Rome remained nominally part of the Byzantine Empire until 751 when the Lombards finally abolished the Exarchate of Ravenna. In 756, Pepin the Short gave the pope temporal jurisdiction over Rome and surrounding areas, thus creating the Papal States.

Rome remained the capital of the Papal States until its annexation into the Kingdom of Italy in 1870; the city became a major pilgrimage site during the Middle Ages and the focus of struggles between the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire starting with Charlemagne, who was crowned its first emperor in Rome on Christmas of 800 by Pope Leo III. Apart from brief periods as an independent city during the Middle Ages, Rome kept its status of Papal capital and "holy city" for centuries, even when the Pope briefly relocated to Avignon (1309–1337). While no longer politically powerful, as tragically shown by the brutal sack of 1527, the city flourished as a hub of cultural and artistic activity during the Renaissance, under the patronage of the Papal court. Population rose again and reached 100,000 during the 17th century, but Rome ultimately lagged behind the rest of the European capitals over the subsequent centuries, being largely busy in the Counter-Reformation process."


ciao...

Answer 5

As a general rule of thumb possibly.

However the peak of the historically reported Roman orgies were during the MIDDLE of the Imperial period. So i would say that the Empire did several things that caused it to fail i will outline briefly below:
1 - extended EXTEMELY far - in some instances i would say it overextended.
2 - didnt use propaganda enough - it allowed foreigners to join the Legions but did not gain complete loyatly.

3 - however in the end one thing occured - well didnt occur... they stopped expanding. because they no longer extended their borders - due to being over extended - other peoples perceived the weakened state and attacked... simple

Answer 6

Yes, I think so. My history professor talked about it, and the decline of the Roman Empire was mainly due to internal problems, that if the citizens had cared enough, they might have saved it or at least extended it.

Answer 7

can anyone tell what is the correct answer for this question?

Answer 8

ROME EXCEEDED ITSELF...