Classwork WMSIO #6

Read pages 173-176
Answer questions # 1, 3, 4, 5 on page 176.
Complete worksheet 4 (page 91).

Notes:

• End of the reign of emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180) marked the end of Pax Romana.
• Following rulers did not know how to manage such a vast empire and it, in return, started declining.
• During third century AD, Rome's economy weakened due to several factors.
• Hostile tribes outside boundaries of the empire and other pirates from the Mediterranean Sea disrupted trade.
• Having reached limit of expansion, Romans were in need of more precious metal.
• The government raised taxes, desperate for revenue.
• Also started minting coins that contained less and less silver.
• With the hope of creating more money with the same amount of precious metal it would take to make less.
• The economy soon suffered from inflation.
• Harvests in Italy and western Europe became increasingly meager because the overworked soil had lost its fertility.
• Years of war had also destroyed much farmland.
• Eventually, serious food shortages and disease spread, and the population declined.
• Military and Political Turmoil
• Over time, Roman soldiers had become less disciplined and loyal.
• Gave their allegiance to their commanders, who fought amongst themselves for the throne, instead of Rome.
• To defend against increasing threats to the empire, the government began recruiting mercenaries.
• Eventually, citizens' feelings of loyalty also declined, losing their sense of patriotism.
• Diocletian (r. AD 284-305)
• Strong-willed army leader who became the new emperor.
• Severely limited personal freedoms.
• Doubled the size of the army and attempted to control the inflation by setting fixed prices for goods.
• Believed the empire had grown too vast for one lone ruler.
• Divided the empire into 
• Greek-speaking East (Greece, Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt).
• Latin-speaking West (Italy, Gaul, Britain, and Spain).
• Kept the eastern half for himself and appointed a co-ruler for the West.
• Even though he shared authority, he kept overall control.
• His eastern part of the empire was far wealthier than the western part of the empire, for it included most of the empire's great cities and trade centers.
• Retired due to ill health.
• Diocletian's plans for orderly succession failed and civil war broke out.
• By AD 311, four rivals were competing for power.
• One of them was Constantine, the one who would later end the persecution of Christians.
• Constantine gained control of the western part by AD 312 and continued many of the social and economic policies of Diocletian.
• By 324, united both parts of the empire.

1. For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance.
Inflation: A drastic drop in the value of money coupled with a rise in prices.
Mercenary: Foreign soldier who fought in exchange for money.
Diocletian: A strong-willed army leader.
Constantinople: (9Modern day Turkey) city of Constantine, previously called Byzantium.
Attila: Powerful chieftain of the Huns who terrorized  both halves of the Roman empire with his 100,000 men.

3. What were the main internal causes of the empire's decline? The government raised taxes to meet revenue when precious metals were scarce and the economy soon suffered from inflation; harvests were  becoming increasingly meager due to the overworked soil; food shortages and disease spread; soldiers had become less disciplined and loyal; and citizens were becoming less and less patriotic and would refuse to fight for their country.

4. How did Diocletian succeed in preserving the empire? He doubled the size of the Roman army; controlled inflation by setting fixed prices on goods; presented himself in god-like aura to restore the prestige of the office of emperor; and divided the Roman empire into the Greek-speaking East and the Latin-speaking West.

5. Why did so many Germanic tribes begin invading the Roman Empire? Due to the Asian nomadic tribe known as the Huns burning everything in their path (starting with Germanic tribes living near the borders of the empire), the Germanic tribes had to choice but to go inland.






P.S. I did Day 6's classwork because the board stated to read the pages from day 6. I did not check on the piece of paper nor online because I thought it was correct. By the time I realized I was not, it was too late, so I decided to stick with it.