In the third century, we observed the development of a serious crisis that would greatly influence the disintegration of the Roman Empire. Taken over by a territory of great proportions, the State was unable to maintain its political-administrative hegemony among the various peoples that were under its domain. While the wealth obtained was immense, the problems and expenses were also manifested in a similar proportion.
The scenario worsened with the crisis in the slave system, triggered by the absence of new territories to to be conquered and which, in turn, would guarantee the supply of the enormous workforce that supported the Empire. Over time, the lack of slaves determined a natural process of economic retraction, since the land owners could not afford to exploit all the land available for the activity agricultural.
Once such a retraction of the Roman economy was installed, the State suffered from the significant decrease in tax collection that provided it with sustenance. The lack of these resources meant that the enormous expenses destined for the army were significantly reduced. Directly, the imposition of this financial problem weakened the military contingents that they carried out the protection of the Roman borders, until then, already under pressure with the advance of the peoples. barbarians.
In this scenario of disruption, we can see that large landowners began to lease their lands as a means of guaranteeing their economic exploitation. Commoners from the cities (in crisis due to the retraction of commercial activities), freed slaves and small farmers free, they gained the right to exploit the land, offering in return the employment of their labor in the land of the owner.
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In this way, we realized that the rich and dynamic economy supported by slave labor began to progressively collapse. Without forces, the Roman government would allow barbarians to enter its domains, a large number of slaves would be freed through the retraction of the economy and the great plebeian mass, supported by the government, lost its privileges. In the economic sphere, activities would abandon an articulated market and then return to local subsistence.
Observing the unfolding of these events, we see that the Roman Empire lost the fundamental characteristics that organized its very existence. In general terms, we see that over the decades, a vast portion of those domains would be marked by other characteristics and practices in the cultural, economic and political spheres. The crisis was installed, so that we could have the development of experiences that would mark the beginning of the Middle Ages.
By Rainer Sousa
Graduated in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUSA, Rainer Gonçalves. "Crisis of the Roman Empire"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/crise-romana.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
