Fall of Rome-Interview
Hello, welcome to Fox News, I’m Anderson Cooper , and today I am with Edward Gibbon discussing the Fall of Rome. Now a bit of background information on Mr. Gibbon; he has written much about the Fall of Rome. His massive 6 volumes which were written over a period of 12 years, gives us a detailed history on Rome and her decline.
Mr. Gibbon, it is commonly known that the Barbarians were the main cause for the Fall of Rome. Do you believe that?
“There are many discussions over the main reason for the Rome’s Fall, but I believe that there wasn’t a “main reason”. When we thing of the fall of Rome, we think of barbarians, and how their empire was so massive that it was too difficult to keep the barbarians at bay. This however, is a misconception. Rome was actually falling apart socially and politically before the barbarians began their attacks”
Was this through a faulty government? Or were there problems with the citizens of Rome?
“Actually, both. After Rome’s height, its next emperors were weak, often replaced, and they didn’t appeal to the Roman citizens. Without a strong, passionate emperor who could hold the position, Rome’s patriotic citizens faded away. This led to the eventual collapse of other branches of the government. The army was weakened, because most soldiers didn’t trust the emperor, but their own commander. This was then followed by attacks of the barbarians. Government spending was directed towards weakening legions, and fall of economics led to revolt among the Roman empire.
Very interesting. Now, Christianity is known to be another reason for the Fall of Rome. What role do you believe Christianity filled in?
“This reason is somewhat debatable on how much Christianity partook for Rome’s fall. However, I believe that Christianity played a big role. Christianity removed the emperors “divine status”, eroding the citizens respect for the government. Many of Rome’s resources were spent on churches, further deepening the economic crisis. But more importantly, I believe Christianity changed the very culture of Rome-the same culture that had made Rome great.“
Many people compare Rome to the United States. They say that we can learn from Rome’s mistakes to make a country better than Rome, in your comparison, is the United States a greater empire than Rome, or has Rome still withstood it holdings in first place?
‘I believe that Rome was a larger empire, with more people, and at its time, a more powerful army. Although some of its policies may be horrific to us, their level of government surpassed any previous nation. Rome also brought many advancements in daily life, with many of the same purposes we have today. Now the United States is certainly a powerful country, but I don’t think it is in the number one spot quite yet. Rome wasn’t just a large country, they conquered almost all of the civilized world. I think the US has the potential to be greater than Rome, but only time will tell.”
What could have Rome done to prevent their fall?
“The best way to stop a problem is to resolve it before it happens, or gets too serious. Rome was almost doomed from the start, with over 95% of the population being the lower class, and 40% of that being slaves, without a iron fist on the people, a revolt was inevitable. Rome also needed a competent emperor, not someone who would be killed in the next month. When the barbarian attacks started, Rome was definitely not ready for them. If the Senate was stronger at that period, the Romans might have had a more successful time bartering with the barbarians. Rome was a powerful empire, but their social and government structure eventually backfired on them, leading them to their downfall.
Thank you, Mr. Gibbon for sharing with us. We learned some very interesting facts about Rome.
That will be all for tonight, thank you for joining us, I’m Anderson Cooper, and this is Fox News.
Hello, welcome to Fox News, I’m Anderson Cooper , and today I am with Edward Gibbon discussing the Fall of Rome. Now a bit of background information on Mr. Gibbon; he has written much about the Fall of Rome. His massive 6 volumes which were written over a period of 12 years, gives us a detailed history on Rome and her decline.
Mr. Gibbon, it is commonly known that the Barbarians were the main cause for the Fall of Rome. Do you believe that?
“There are many discussions over the main reason for the Rome’s Fall, but I believe that there wasn’t a “main reason”. When we thing of the fall of Rome, we think of barbarians, and how their empire was so massive that it was too difficult to keep the barbarians at bay. This however, is a misconception. Rome was actually falling apart socially and politically before the barbarians began their attacks”
Was this through a faulty government? Or were there problems with the citizens of Rome?
“Actually, both. After Rome’s height, its next emperors were weak, often replaced, and they didn’t appeal to the Roman citizens. Without a strong, passionate emperor who could hold the position, Rome’s patriotic citizens faded away. This led to the eventual collapse of other branches of the government. The army was weakened, because most soldiers didn’t trust the emperor, but their own commander. This was then followed by attacks of the barbarians. Government spending was directed towards weakening legions, and fall of economics led to revolt among the Roman empire.
Very interesting. Now, Christianity is known to be another reason for the Fall of Rome. What role do you believe Christianity filled in?
“This reason is somewhat debatable on how much Christianity partook for Rome’s fall. However, I believe that Christianity played a big role. Christianity removed the emperors “divine status”, eroding the citizens respect for the government. Many of Rome’s resources were spent on churches, further deepening the economic crisis. But more importantly, I believe Christianity changed the very culture of Rome-the same culture that had made Rome great.“
Many people compare Rome to the United States. They say that we can learn from Rome’s mistakes to make a country better than Rome, in your comparison, is the United States a greater empire than Rome, or has Rome still withstood it holdings in first place?
‘I believe that Rome was a larger empire, with more people, and at its time, a more powerful army. Although some of its policies may be horrific to us, their level of government surpassed any previous nation. Rome also brought many advancements in daily life, with many of the same purposes we have today. Now the United States is certainly a powerful country, but I don’t think it is in the number one spot quite yet. Rome wasn’t just a large country, they conquered almost all of the civilized world. I think the US has the potential to be greater than Rome, but only time will tell.”
What could have Rome done to prevent their fall?
“The best way to stop a problem is to resolve it before it happens, or gets too serious. Rome was almost doomed from the start, with over 95% of the population being the lower class, and 40% of that being slaves, without a iron fist on the people, a revolt was inevitable. Rome also needed a competent emperor, not someone who would be killed in the next month. When the barbarian attacks started, Rome was definitely not ready for them. If the Senate was stronger at that period, the Romans might have had a more successful time bartering with the barbarians. Rome was a powerful empire, but their social and government structure eventually backfired on them, leading them to their downfall.
Thank you, Mr. Gibbon for sharing with us. We learned some very interesting facts about Rome.
That will be all for tonight, thank you for joining us, I’m Anderson Cooper, and this is Fox News.