Degree Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2009
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
History
First Advisor
David Hollander
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine a wide range of economic and military factors from the Third-Century Crisis to the fall of the Western Empire. My investigation of the Roman Economy focuses on taxation, inflation, coinage, mining, slavery and coloni. In the section on the Roman Army, I address policy decisions of emperors, logistics, pay and supply of the armies, military losses and recruitment, strategies and tactics, and the overall decline in population across the empire. By taking this broad approach and examining numerous factors, I will present a more complete explanation for the decline and eventual collapse of the Western Roman Empire. This explanation will show how the slow erosion of both the Roman economy and military from the third-century onward fatally weakened the Western Roman Empire causing it to fall apart.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31274/etd-180810-478
Copyright Owner
Justin Ott
Copyright Date
2009
Language
en
Date Available
2012-04-29
File Format
application/pdf
File Size
70 pages
Recommended Citation
Ott, Justin, "The decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire" (2009). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 10500.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/10500
