How did Rome's success foretell its decline?Explain.

2 parts (Answer question and respond to classmate)

Part 1:

How did Rome’s success foretell its decline?

The Pax Romana brought peace at the price of a loss of freedom. Evaluate this exchange.

Part 2:

Below is an answer to by my classmate:

“How did Rome’s success foretell its decline?

It’s always been said that Rome became too big for it’s own good. One force couldn’t control the vast extent which the empire had grown. The willingness to give out Roman citizenship meant that outsiders could gain all the benefits of a “true Roman.” There was also the problem of unemployment. Since there was a large population of slaves at hand, many free men were left struggling on the streets in poverty. This lowered the moral of what was once loyal support from the public and lead to eventual reliance on disloyal groups such as the Germanic mercenaries. They became too dependent on other areas of the empire to keep their system going, which allowed for rebellion to build and grow.

In a similar fashion to Julius Caesar’s betrayal, so too was the Roman empire betrayed by it’s territories.

The Pax Romana brought peace at the price of a loss of freedom. Evaluate this exchange.

While the Pax Romana maintained an organized, well structural government system in the Roman empire, their methods of encouraging peace were considered somewhat forceful. With little tolerance for rebellion, the Roman legion often resorted to violence to snub out refusal to conform. A popular target of this was outside territories such as the Germanic tribes. In latter years, the government also suffered from severe corruption. Many high-ranking people (mostly on the Senate) used any means possible to keep their power and wealth (including assassinating those who threatened their positions). The Pax Romana became a light idealism that was used more as an excuse for aggressive behavior than a goal for equality.

It wasn’t to say that the systematic government wasn’t fair. There were many people of the public who strived. Rather, you couldn’t leave once you were apart of the empire. Many settlements that were annexed didn’t have a choice. If the people didn’t want Roman citizenship, they were forced to flee their homes. The cities were then replaced with supportive Romans. So while there was a form of freedom given, it was controlled and within reason.”

Please write a respond to what they wrote (one paragraph)