The political and military state of Rome started to decline after the death of Marcus Aurelius in A.D. 180. When he died, his spoiled son, Commodus, took over. Commodus was a poor leader causing civil wars and tribes around the Mediterranean to invade. To deal with the invasions, the size of the Roman army was increased. Serfs, one of the largest segments of the population, were not allowed to serve in the army. From the excerpt from the textbook, The Course of Civilization, the serfs were "bound to the soil and...excluded from political responsibilities."

The economy was also strained by over-population. Many people were forced to become serfs and "till the soil" for low wages. There was a failure to advance technologically because of slavery. It was also difficult to govern so many people which impacted the political issues above.

As Roman power continued to decline in the West, invasions continued, and pressure from Germanic tribes ultimately led to the fall of Rome.

The deterioration of the empire led to changing beliefs. People took refuge in mysticism and other religious beliefs. From its beginnings in Judaea, Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire. Clergy preached the doctrine of patience and pacifism. This generated negative influences on military virtues and patriotism.

Therefore, many foreigners, especially Germans, took part in the army. With outlander

Some common words found in the essay are:
Henry Haskell, Herbert Meller, Course Civilization, Empire Clergy, Commodus Commodus, Roman Empire, Mediterranean Sea, Aurelius AD, Judaea Christianity, political military, Republic Rome, people forced, civil wars, military issues, henry haskell, system people, political military issues, welfare system people, welfare system, roman empire,
Approximate Word count = 579
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)