This paper discusses the topic of the fall of the Roman Empire. It is one of the most widely contested issues in ancient history. Scholars from all over the world, ranging from the reasonable to the absurd, have presented almost every possible viewpoint, at one time or another. Some will argue that understanding the fall of Rome is the key to the survival of our own great nation, the United States. For much of this century, the U.S. has been compared to the Roman Empire in just about every conceivable way. There are those who say that we are following the same path to destruction as the ancient Romans. In order to avoid that fate, we must try to understand what caused the fall of the Roman Empire. Some of the most commonly adhered to theories for the fall are the collapse of the Roman economy, the gradual transformation of Roman society, and the decline of its military. I tend to agree with the idea that it was the decline of Rome's once mighty military that led to its demise.
