Posted - 12/12/2012 : 06:48:36 Fall of Roman Empire
1. The failure of the city-state a. Utopias b. Romens
2. The searehtor community a. Regiments and religions b. The heavenly city from Plato to Paul
3. Saint Augustine and The City of God a. Two cities b. Life and confession – puritanism
4. The end of the World: the fifth century - How other Christians cope - St. Ambrose, Synesius, St. Jerome
5. The Collapse a. Economic and social effects - Barbarization Cryptin milan Totalitarian
Theories of the Fall of the Roman Empire are more personal than scientific, or that is to say they are based on the individual historian’s biases rather than concrete data.
List of reasons for Fall of Rome published by Ward-Perkins, the list is quite extension
1. Edward Gibbon: a. Christianity a main reason undermined the fight spirit of Rome b. Called the fall the “triumph of religion and barbarism ” c. The most talent men went into the church instead of government
2. Moralists (a variety of historians): a. Rome fail become immorality, lack of virtue. b. Economic moralists: i. Rome fell because of socialism, increased centralized state planning. (Reference Diocletian’s Edict of Prices.) ii. War and threat of war depleted finances
3. Ellsworth Huntington a. Climatic reasons: low rainfall caused drought and low agricultural productivity (not really an effect since-------
4. T. Frank and M. Nilson a. Mongrelization – racial theory. Breeding with Eastern immigrants result in interiority. (Answer: Rome always)
5. Otto Eeeck a. “survival of the unfittest” (inverse Darwinism)
6. Michael Rostovtzff (Russian who fled Bolshevik Revolution) a. Cities tilled with proletariat social war: oppressed peasants against urban bourgeoisie. b. Saw Roman historians template for 20th century class struggle. (had Bolshevik Revolution mind.)
7. Vatai and Tonybee a. Rome faced crisis after crisis and finally broke down. Rome finally succumbed to overwhelming. b. Failure of leadership. Human frailty apparent at the highest level. c. Withering urban society d. Christianity was a bridge between old and new Europe. e. Three cultures arising from the rubble of the Roman Empire were Byzantine, Islam and Latin Christendom.
