Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Category: History: Europe: Italy: Rome

Copyright/published Year: 1960 by Harcourt Brace

ISBN: 0151355371

Binding: hardcover

Description: Gibbon offers his explanation for why the Roman Empire fell, a ì task made difficult by a lack of comprehensive written sources, ì though he was not the only historian to tackle the subject. ì According to Gibbon, the Roman Empire succumbed to barbarian ì invasions in large part due to the gradual loss of civic virtue ì among its citizens. They had become weak, outsourcing their ì duties to defend their Empire to barbarian mercenaries, who then ì became so numerous and ingrained that they were able to take over ì the Empire. Romans, he believed, had become effeminate, unwilling ì to live a tougher, "manly" military lifestyle.

In addition, Gibbon argued that Christianity created a belief ì that a better life existed after death, which fostered an ì indifference to the present among Roman citizens, thus sapping ì their desire to sacrifice for the Empire. He also believed its ì comparative pacifism tended to hamper the traditional Roman ì martial spirit.

Finally, like other Enlightenment thinkers, Gibbon held in ì contempt the Middle Ages as a priest-ridden, superstitious, dark ì age. It was not until his own age of reason and rational thought, ì it was believed, that human history could resume its progress. ì Gibbon sees the Praetorian Guard as the primary catalyst of the ì empire's initial decay and eventual collapse, a seed planted by ì Augustus at the establishment of the empire. He cites repeated ì examples of the Praetorian Guard abusing their power with ì calamitous results, including numerous instances of imperial ì assassination and incessant demands for increased pay.

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