The Development of Power in the Roman Empire (Part III of III)

Introduction

Throughout my time studying business in Trinity College, I’ve learned that any organization must be adaptable in order to survive. A strategy that becomes resistant change is inevitably destined to fail. In a similar fashion throughout the fourth and fifth century in western Europe, a series of radical changes led to the demise of the regimented Roman Empire.

In the previous Roman Empire blog post, we see all the factors that contributed to the lavish success of the Roman Empire in 100 AD. The rapid expansion of this empire was fueled by multiple strict governance procedures and large revenue incomes from taxation. The Romans quickly learned how to expand and exploit their empire. As the centauries rolled on, we find that the foundation on which their power and influence was built began to crack beneath their very feet. This blog discusses potential reasons of one of the greatest empire downfalls in the history of our continent, primarily focusing on the western side.

Abuse and Struggle of Power

The exact reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire are subject to debate. There are even arguments over the timeline of the downfall. One reason for certain is that the struggle for power amongst potential Emperors caused them to lose focus on ruing the empire. Reviewing the official timeline of each emperor in power, we see that the typical emperor’s lifespan doesn’t last for too long. (Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2019). In fact, the majority of Emperor deaths were either caused by assassinations or murders. Because of this, decisions made from the high up command were often invoked by fear, as rulers were often afraid of losing their lives.

During the struggle of power at the top of the Roman hierarchy, civil wars and unease began to spread amongst the Roman people in the fourth century. Invasions from barbarian tribes became common, where the empire was forced to condense. An example of this was the Roman invasion of Britain in 54BC. After over 300 years of occupation, the Romans were forced out of the country by numerous barbarian tribes in 388AD (History on the Net, 2019). The high Roman command did not anticipate these attacks where they simply called the soldiers to return to mainland Europe. The Roman strategy became subject to ignorance resulting in the loss of significant territory.

This unrest across the empire eventually led to the sack of Rome in 410AD. A Germanic tribe known as the Visigoths led by King Alaric gathered forces in attempt to legitimize their new empire. It took over four hundred years for the Germanic tribes to bond together to take on the Roman Empire. It was short sight in the Roman strategy that allowed for this to develop into a force that had the ability to sack a major city such as Rome. As a result, the city of Rome went into a period of starvation. Below is a short timeline of events that occurred before the Roman downfall.

337-351 AD - The Emperor Constantine had three sons who fought to control the empire until Constantius eventually won.

395 AD – The empire splits down the middle into two empires. After overcoming two civil wars, Theodosius I died, leaving the Roman army with no command. His incapable sons then took over.

410 AD - TThe Visigoths sack Rome. This is the first time in 800 years that the city of Rome has fallen to an enemy. The city then goes into starvation. This signals the beginning of the Dark Ages in Europe.

Income and Taxation

Around 375 AD, the Roman army began to become quite inefficient due to the lack of control over its expansive size. The army slowly lost their superiority in battle due to the lack of the training and discipline traits they once possessed. Corruption also played a large role in the empire’s downfall which was mainly evident amongst officials in the army. Despite Emperor Julian’s established anti-corruption campaign (MARCELLINUS, 1935), corruption continued spread.

During this time period many cities across the empire failed to pay taxes and the endowments of property. City councils began to lose their strength and the services provided were slowly abandoned. By this time, their control in Egypt to exploit their grain produce began to come to a slow halt. The diminishing income was beginning to strangle the empire from within.

Religion

The Roman Empire at this time was still in the midst of religious conflict between pagans and Christians. In 380 AD, Emperor Theodosius declared Christianity to be the sole religion of the Roman Empire. This move divided the people amongst the empire which sparked many of the civil wars throughout the 4th Century. Again we see another strategy move that resulted in a failure in the long term.

The Romans were one of the first to discover and utilize the power of the populous’ mindset. Through a successful economy, structured law and governance they effectively pulled a society of millions together and united their beliefs. The Roman Empire represents an example of immense power through united human perception. When we look at what organizations do today, the methods of expansion may be different to that of the ancient Romans however the objectives remain the same. The major difference is that boundaries are less of an issue due to globalization and we are less likely to murder our way to achieve power… Hopefully... It is for certain that 2,000 years later, it’s all the same. Divide, conquer and rule. It’s just that modern organizations are better at hiding their objectives more discreetly.

Conclusion

Through a combination of strategy decisions, the internal and external pressure began to dissolve the Roman Empire. What once made the empire so brilliant and powerful, ultimately led to the western demise when the western empire across the 5th Century. Despite the fall of the western empire, the east (The Byzantine Empire) continued under Roman rule. This empire lasted until 1453.

One important factor in this blog is that although the western empire fell, the Romans ruled for over 500 years. The principles behind the power of the empire’s creation applies to organizational survival today. This study of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire concludes that adaptability is the key to a long survival. As mindsets and beliefs change over time, organizations must learn to leverage this to their advantage.