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In the work “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” Edward Gibbon names the main reasons for Rome’s fall: external enemies, the strengthening of Christianity, and illiterate governance. Gibbon claims that the Romans were unaware of the extent of the danger and the number of their enemies. Although the conquered nations subjected to rapid wars sometimes adopted the Roman way of life, discontent grew and strengthened. The dual kingdom is also an important reason: the throne of Constantinople was erected in the East, while the West was still under the rule of a series of emperors who demanded equal succession of legions and provinces.
The ‘misapplication’ of Christianity also influenced the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. The clergy successfully preached the doctrine of patience and cowardice; the active virtues of society were discouraged. In general, Gibbon says that the decline of Rome was a natural and inevitable consequence of immoderate greatness. Instead of inquiring why the Roman Empire was destroyed, historians should rather be surprised that it had subsisted so long (Gibbon, 1789). The Roman Empire, according to the researcher, bent under its weight, it was impossible to manage it competently.
Gibbon’s knowledge was so vast, and he approached his work so diligently from primary sources that his account of events – and most of his interpretations – cannot be challenged by modern historians. Gibbon discoursed many things, including Roman institutions, the customs of various barbarian peoples, and philosophical debates among early Christians. Of the reasons not mentioned by Gibbon, one can single out the decline and weakening of the Roman army, exhausted by exploitation. Most of the salaries and allowances of the soldiers were appropriated by military leaders, so the lower ranks were extremely demoralized, and cases of robberies directed against compatriots became more frequent. The main cause of the crisis is the destruction of the professional army, the loss of military discipline, the increase in the number of soldiers from among poorly trained recruits. Also, Gibbon does not pay much attention to Rome’s destruction by the slave system. Exploitation gave rise to slave uprisings that flared regularly, and the authorities could no longer suppress them.
Reference
Gibbon, E. (1789). History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Strahan & Cadell.
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