the reforms of diocletian

A detailed Summary of the reforms of diocletian

The reformation of the Roman government was not a new idea by the third century CE. The enormous Roman Empire had seen many changes by this time; largely due to the many wars, the rise of Christianity and other religious cultures, and, of course, the power hungry leaders and jealous politicians any culture is doomed to run into over centuries of time. The reforms of Augustus were quite respectable, lasting some two hundred years. But by the third century CE, the Roman government was in shambles. Between CE 235 and 285, Rome had at least twenty-six different emperors, and only one of the men died of natural causes! Diocletian is known even two thousand years after his reign as one of the greatest Roman Emperors. Ambition and ability drove his rise to leadership alone -- he was born an uneducated peasant and had joined the Roman army at an early age. He became emperor after the troops of Rome acclaimed him emperor, disrespecting their true emperor Carinus. By the spring of CE 285, Diocletian had defeated Carinus and became leader of the entire Roman Empire. His leadership skills were unmatched, and his long reign in a time of chaos in Roman history shows the respect his people gave him. Diocle

Diocletian knew that economic reforms were in order. Though his reforms may not have been the correct ones, his concern for the well being of his Empire is evident. In CE 301 he issued an Edict of Prices that sought to stabilize the economy. The first part of the decree discussed the unfairness of the present economy. It discusses the price gouging and shortages of goods that have hurt the common people and the important army. Diocletian cut this out completely, declaring capital punishment on those who were guilty of the actions stated in the edict. The second part of the Edict of Prices was more specific. It fixed prices, giving minimum and maximum prices and salaries. To carry out his economic dream, Diocletian took a census of all agricultural productive land and the laborers on it. He divided the land into taxable units and forced the people to produce its quota. The state began to produce many articles it had once bought from the private sector. He also created a large public works program that was supposed to stimulate the economy, but this failed miserably, causing inflation to skyrocket. The Edict of Prices did not work. It seemed to benefit the military more than any other group of people. The minimum prices and wages did not benefit the common people, and the division of the land gave the government more power and therefore more frustration to the commons. This led to poverty, black markets, and complete abandonment of farmland.

Diocletian's reforms did not work as he had planned, but did set a trend that would continue for centuries. Diocletian died in CE 313, almost ten years after his rule. He was not loved by his former followers, but respected in the fact

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Approximate Word count = 1149
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History