little better than slaves (Chambers 56). Economic problems persisted even when the rulers knew that something had to be done about the situation. The poor were continually taxed beyond payment, while the rich rarely had to pay taxes. The taxation on the poor became so heavy that it started to use up the financial resources of the taxpayers. The corruptness of the provincial governors drained the financial strength of the government (Haywood 106).Agriculture was the main industry that helped the economy prosper. If agriculture production started to diminish so would the economy, therefore the empire. This was the situation in Rome that led to the decline. Agricultural production that was once high started to diminish at an alarming rate. One of the key factors that caused the rate of decline was the loss of man power. In order to produce bountiful crops you need a large number of people to work the farms. According to Boak, The inevitable accompaniment of the population decline was naturally a corresponding decrease in the manpower available for agriculture, industry, and the public services, a condition which became more and more acute from the late third to the fifth century (25). Roman civilization was also dramatically hit by the plague from 167-177AD (Scarre 116). The epidemic had a long lasting and devastating effect on Rome that would last for years. Along with disease Rome had to deal with several military conflicts. One of the most serious effects of individualism that accompanies the increase of civilization and wealth, is the decrease of the birth-rate (Ferrero 31). During the third century, the loss of life and the average lifespan was drastically reduced. Once a birth rate starts to decline it continues to increasingly descend. Therefore, if a slight decline was noticed in 235, because of the total population loss, by 284 the decline would be very obvious. The decline would continue until a countertrend wa...
