Chapter 2 Lesson 2

The big ideas are:

  • a series of internal problems weakened the Roman Empire.
  • under the leadership of Diocletian and Constantine, the struggling empire underwent significant changes.
  • foreign groups invaded Rome and conquered the western half of the empire.
  1. Big Idea Review Question: What were the internal problems that weakened the Roman Empire?(Make a tree map. Use Internal Problems that Weaken the Roman Empire as the topic. Use Economic Difficulties, Social Difficulties, Decline in Agriculture, Military Problems, Political Problems as the subcategories.)
  2. Big Idea Review Question: Who was Diocletian and what changes did he make to the Roman Empire?
  3. Big Idea Review Question: Who was Constantine and what changes did he make to the Roman Empire?
  4. Big Idea Review Question: Explain how invasion and conquest led to the final collapse the Roman Empire?(Make a tree map. Use The Final collapse of Rome as the topic. Use Invasion and Conquest as the subcategories.
  5. Who was Clovis and what did he do?
  6. What was name of the eastern part of the former Roman Empire after the western part of the empire fell?

Study Questions Chapter 2 Lesson 2

1. Big Idea Review Question: What were the internal problems that weakened the Roman Empire?

Internal Problems that Weaken the Roman Empire

Economic Difficulties,

  • Empire stopped expanding so there were no new sources of wealth/income.
  • Roman officials had a hard time paying the empire’s expenses. Ex: the army
  • Taxes were raised.

Social Difficulties

  • Education costs grew making it more difficult to get an education.
  • Communication across the empire became difficult so people were less informed.

Decline in Agriculture

  • Soil was poor because of constant warfare and overuse.
  • They relied on slave labor.
  • Made no new advances in farming technology.

Military Problems

  • Roman soldiers became less disciplined.
  • Soldiers became more loyal to individual generals instead of Rome.

Political Problems

  • Roman citizens became less loyal to the empire.
  • Politicians became corrupt as they made decisions they benefited them financially.

2. Big Idea Review Question: Who was Diocletian and what changes did he make to the Roman Empire?

  • He became emperor of Rome in A.D. 284.
  • Diocletian brought order to the empire by ruling with an iron fist and tolerating little opposition.
  • He made the empire easier to control by splitting the empire in two and dividing rule of the empire among four men.
  • Increased the size of the army.

3. Big Idea Review Question: Who was Constantine and what changes did he make to the Roman Empire?

  • Constantine became emperor after Diocletian.
  • He allowed Christians to worship freely.
  • He moved the capital of the empire to Byzantium. He renamed the city Constantinople.

4.Big Idea Review Question: Explain the fall of the Roman Empire?

The Final collapse of Rome

Invasion

  • Outside invaders came looking for better land or wealth or escaping the Huns.
  • The Huns from Asia invaded.

Conquest

  • In 476, German tribes conquered the city of Rome. This ended the Western Roman Empire.

5. Who was Clovis and what did he do?

  • He was the leader of a Germanic group known as the Franks who in 486 conquered the remaining Roman land in the province of Gaul(Switzerland and France).
  • He setup his own kingdom that lasted for 1,000 years.

6. What was name of the eastern part of the former Roman Empire after the western part of the empire fell?

  • West: The Western Roman Empire
  • East: The Byzantine Empire

Troy Martinez – TOA/Lugonia