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The Causes for the Fall of the Western Roman Empire
historyancient history語彙
3回解答
難しい
Reading
The Causes for the Fall of the Western Roman Empire
historyancient history語彙
3回解答
難しい
Paragraph 1
The fall of the Western Roman Empire, traditionally dated to 476 C.E. with the deposition of the last emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was not a singular event but the culmination of a long and complex process of decline. For centuries, the Roman Empire had been the dominant political, economic, and cultural force in the Mediterranean world. Its collapse sent shockwaves through subsequent history, and diagnosing the causes for its demise has been a perennial exercise for historians ever since. There is no single, universally accepted explanation; rather, most modern scholars point to a confluence of interacting internal weaknesses and external pressures that eroded the empire's foundations over a period of several centuries.
Paragraph 2
Internal political instability was arguably a primary contributor to the decline. The sheer size of the empire made it difficult to govern effectively, a problem the Emperor Diocletian attempted to solve in the late 3rd century by dividing the empire into a tetrarchy (rule of four), which eventually solidified into an eastern and a western half. However, this did not solve the persistent issue of succession. Rome never developed a reliable system for the peaceful transfer of power, leading to frequent and bloody civil wars as ambitious generals vied for the imperial throne. This constant infighting drained the treasury, diverted military resources away from defending the frontiers, and created a pervasive sense of uncertainty and chaos that weakened public confidence and administrative cohesion.
Paragraph 3
Simultaneously, the empire was grappling with severe economic problems. The Roman economy was heavily reliant on conquest, which provided new lands, resources, and enslaved labor. When the empire ceased to expand in the 2nd century C.E., these crucial sources of revenue dried up. To fund its massive army and bureaucracy, the state resorted to increasingly oppressive taxation of its citizenry and the debasement of its currency—mixing precious metals with base metals—which led to runaway inflation. Agricultural productivity also declined due to soil exhaustion, climate change, and the abandonment of farmlands by overtaxed peasants. This economic decay impoverished the populace, crippled trade, and made it progressively more difficult for the state to pay its soldiers and officials.
Paragraph 4
External pressures came in the form of relentless and intensifying incursions by various groups of so-called 'barbarian' peoples along the empire's vast frontiers. For centuries, Rome had managed these groups through a combination of military force, diplomacy, and assimilation. However, in the 4th and 5th centuries, large-scale migrations, partly spurred by the westward movement of the Huns from Central Asia, put the empire's defenses under unprecedented strain. Groups like the Goths and Vandals, sometimes entering as refugees and other times as invaders, crossed the Rhine and Danube rivers in massive numbers. The overstretched Roman army, often filled with unreliable barbarian mercenaries (foederati) itself, could not secure the borders. The sack of the city of Rome by the Visigoths in 410 and again by the Vandals in 455 were devastating psychological blows from which the Western Empire never truly recovered.
Paragraph 5
Social and cultural shifts also played a role. Some historians have argued that a decline in traditional Roman civic virtue and patriotism, a so-called 'moral decay,' made the empire less resilient. The rise of Christianity, which became the state religion in the late 4th century, is a particularly complex factor. While it may have provided a new source of social cohesion for some, others argue it diverted focus away from the temporal matters of the state toward spiritual salvation, and its pacifist tenets may have undermined the traditional Roman military ethos. Ultimately, these internal and external factors created a vicious cycle: political instability and economic decay weakened the military, which in turn made the empire more vulnerable to external invasion, and the devastation of invasions further exacerbated the internal crises.
The word 'perennial' in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to...
The word 'vied' in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to...
According to paragraph 3, what was a major consequence of the Roman Empire's cessation of expansion?
What can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the tetrarchy established by Diocletian?
In paragraph 4, why does the author put the word 'barbarian' in quotation marks?
According to paragraph 4, who were the *foederati*?
What does the author imply about the rise of Christianity in paragraph 5?
According to the passage, the 'vicious cycle' described in paragraph 5 involved...
Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to paragraph 3. Where would the sentence best fit?
This created an immediate and severe fiscal crisis for the Roman state.
An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
The fall of the Western Roman Empire was a complex process resulting from a combination of internal and external pressures.
Select 3 answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
Paragraph 1
The fall of the Western Roman Empire, traditionally dated to 476 C.E. with the deposition of the last emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was not a singular event but the culmination of a long and complex process of decline. For centuries, the Roman Empire had been the dominant political, economic, and cultural force in the Mediterranean world. Its collapse sent shockwaves through subsequent history, and diagnosing the causes for its demise has been a perennial exercise for historians ever since. There is no single, universally accepted explanation; rather, most modern scholars point to a confluence of interacting internal weaknesses and external pressures that eroded the empire's foundations over a period of several centuries.
Paragraph 2
Internal political instability was arguably a primary contributor to the decline. The sheer size of the empire made it difficult to govern effectively, a problem the Emperor Diocletian attempted to solve in the late 3rd century by dividing the empire into a tetrarchy (rule of four), which eventually solidified into an eastern and a western half. However, this did not solve the persistent issue of succession. Rome never developed a reliable system for the peaceful transfer of power, leading to frequent and bloody civil wars as ambitious generals vied for the imperial throne. This constant infighting drained the treasury, diverted military resources away from defending the frontiers, and created a pervasive sense of uncertainty and chaos that weakened public confidence and administrative cohesion.
Paragraph 3
Simultaneously, the empire was grappling with severe economic problems. The Roman economy was heavily reliant on conquest, which provided new lands, resources, and enslaved labor. When the empire ceased to expand in the 2nd century C.E., these crucial sources of revenue dried up. To fund its massive army and bureaucracy, the state resorted to increasingly oppressive taxation of its citizenry and the debasement of its currency—mixing precious metals with base metals—which led to runaway inflation. Agricultural productivity also declined due to soil exhaustion, climate change, and the abandonment of farmlands by overtaxed peasants. This economic decay impoverished the populace, crippled trade, and made it progressively more difficult for the state to pay its soldiers and officials.
Paragraph 4
External pressures came in the form of relentless and intensifying incursions by various groups of so-called 'barbarian' peoples along the empire's vast frontiers. For centuries, Rome had managed these groups through a combination of military force, diplomacy, and assimilation. However, in the 4th and 5th centuries, large-scale migrations, partly spurred by the westward movement of the Huns from Central Asia, put the empire's defenses under unprecedented strain. Groups like the Goths and Vandals, sometimes entering as refugees and other times as invaders, crossed the Rhine and Danube rivers in massive numbers. The overstretched Roman army, often filled with unreliable barbarian mercenaries (foederati) itself, could not secure the borders. The sack of the city of Rome by the Visigoths in 410 and again by the Vandals in 455 were devastating psychological blows from which the Western Empire never truly recovered.
Paragraph 5
Social and cultural shifts also played a role. Some historians have argued that a decline in traditional Roman civic virtue and patriotism, a so-called 'moral decay,' made the empire less resilient. The rise of Christianity, which became the state religion in the late 4th century, is a particularly complex factor. While it may have provided a new source of social cohesion for some, others argue it diverted focus away from the temporal matters of the state toward spiritual salvation, and its pacifist tenets may have undermined the traditional Roman military ethos. Ultimately, these internal and external factors created a vicious cycle: political instability and economic decay weakened the military, which in turn made the empire more vulnerable to external invasion, and the devastation of invasions further exacerbated the internal crises.
The word 'perennial' in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to...
The word 'vied' in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to...
According to paragraph 3, what was a major consequence of the Roman Empire's cessation of expansion?
What can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the tetrarchy established by Diocletian?
In paragraph 4, why does the author put the word 'barbarian' in quotation marks?
According to paragraph 4, who were the *foederati*?
What does the author imply about the rise of Christianity in paragraph 5?
According to the passage, the 'vicious cycle' described in paragraph 5 involved...
Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to paragraph 3. Where would the sentence best fit?
This created an immediate and severe fiscal crisis for the Roman state.
An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
The fall of the Western Roman Empire was a complex process resulting from a combination of internal and external pressures.
Select 3 answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.