Economic Reasons for Collapse
Han Dynasty (220 CE)
Western Roman Empire (476 CE)
 Difficulty collecting taxes
 Scholars and officials didn’t
have to pay
 Peasants dodged taxes
 Difficulty collecting taxes
 Self Sufficient, not
 Trade declined due to
dramatically affected by
decrease in trade



Wealthy avoided paying taxes
Sent personal armies to scare
off tax collectors
Church land not taxable
unsafe roads


Rome depended on trade with
other civilizations
Serious negative economic
effects
Political Reasons for Collapse
Han Dynasty (220 CE)
Western Roman Empire (476 CE)
 Wealthy owners of
 Government had trouble
private estates had more
power than government
 Advisors to the emperor
gave bad advice in order
to advance their own
interests
finding people to enforce
laws
 Power struggles for the
throne

Between 235-284: 25 out of 26
emperors died violent deaths
 Division of Empire into East
and West allowed East to
stay strong and weakened
West
Social Reasons for Collapse
Han Dynasty (220 CE)
Western Roman Empire (476 CE)
 Population increase
 Plagues cut population
 Especially farmers
meant smaller plots of
land and made tax
burden more difficult for
peasants
Role of Nomadic Invasions in Collapse
Han Dynasty (220 CE)
Western Roman Empire (476 CE)
 Xiongnu invaded after
 Roman army could not
the empire fell

Lived north of China
defend against invasion
of groups such as the:



Ostrogoths
Huns
Visigoths
 Western Rome was
sacked by the Visigoths in
476 CE