Re: topic 3 -- Early World History, Level I

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Date Posted: 15:40:03 03/07/02 Thu
Author: Kristen Berard
Subject: Re: topic 3
In reply to: j curboy 's message, "topic 3" on 05:21:40 02/26/02 Tue

Romans were so successful for a long time. The legendary date of the founding of Rome was 753 BC. The accounts of this period have come down covered with such a mass of myth and legend that few things from this period can be proved true. Following this period, when a republic was established, Rome became a world power and emerged as an empire with extensive boundaries. Rome was said to have been founded by Latin colonists from a nearby city in ancient Latium. The legendary date of the founding was 753 BC; it was credited to Romulus and Remus, the twin sons of Rhea Silvia, a vestal virgin. Later legend carried the ancestry of the Romans back to the Trojans and their leader Aeneas, whose son Ascanius, or Iulus, was the founder and the first king of Alba Longa.
The Romans were successful for so long because they were a smart people. They had a strong government and had armies that were so strong that it didn't matter who were leading the army it was still strong.
Rome had come to a downfall after about 1250 years. The downfall started when Rome received to many cheap slaves and a lot people no longer had work. Rome reached the end of its downfall when the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was overthrown by the mercenary Herulian leader Odoacer in about 493 AD.

The Middle Ages was another civilization that didn't survive. It was period in Europe dating from the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West, around the fifth century, to the 15th century. No one definitive event marks the end of antiquity and the beginning of the Middle Ages. Although during this period the loose confederation of tribes began to unite into kingdoms, virtually no trace of government existed, and political and economic development was local in nature. Regular commerce had ceased almost entirely, although the money economy never entirely vanished.

The only universal European institution was the church, and even there, a division of authority was the rule; all power within the church chain of command was in the hands of local bishops. Cultural activity during the early Middle Ages consisted primarily in appropriating and systematizing the knowledge of the past. By the year 1050, Europe stood on the verge of an exceptional period of development. The era of migrations had ended, and Europe experienced the continuity and active growth of a settled population. Town life, and with it regular and large-scale trade and commerce, was revived.
The downfall of the Middle Ages was in the late Middle Age. Conflict and dissolution characterized the late Middle Ages. The struggle for domination between church and state became a fixture of European history for the next several centuries. Towns and cities, continuing to grow in size and prosperity, began to strive for political self-control, and the urban conflict became internal as well, as various classes and interests vied for control.
There is a similarity between the downfall of the Romans and the Middle Ages. Both ended over control of power. In Rome, it was that there was so many different groups fighting for power. In the Middle Ages, it was that the towns and cities wanted their own power. That is what I think causes a lot of downfalls of past civilizations. It seems to be obvious that this pattern of being a large empire then beginning to downfall after trouble with division of power will continue in centuries to come.

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[> Re: topic 3 -- Brad Nock, 16:30:51 03/07/02 Thu

There are a lot of things that contributed to the downfall of the Roman empire. These can be compared to events and actions that led to the downfall of more modern civilizations. The main reason for Rome�s downfall was its inability to defeat the Teutonic tribes that lived on the boundaries of Rome�s territory. There were also more minor reasons such as slavery, heavy taxes and the feebleness of some of the emperors. When the Huns came into Europe from Asia they pushed the Teutonic tribes into Roman territory and the Romans struggled to keep them from taking over Rome. The Huns were defeated but the Teutonics still threatened the Romans and in 476 A.D. Rome fell to the Teutonics.
This can be compared to the fall of the U.S.S.R. The U.S.S.R. fell due to the governments lack of ability to keep order in the territory. The government failed to fulfill its promises for a perfect life and didn�t properly deal with social problems. There were also economic problems and failure of the government to communicate with the citizens. These things led to the downfall of the U.S.S.R. and similar problems with governments have led to the downfalls of other civilizations.

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