When we
further examine the roots of Rome's fall, we find that a large qualifying
factor to the demise of Roman society was climate change. The climate, to a
large extent, simply turned against Rome.[1]
During the 4th century A.D, the climate began to get cooler which triggered
massive amounts of migrations by nomadic tribes to Rome's frontiers, further
pushing Rome in the midst of an already raging economic battle.[2]
This eventually resulted in what we know as the series of barbarian invasions
that led to the split of the western and eastern halves of the Roman Empire; ending
with the Eastern Roman Empire's final demise in 1453 A.D.[3]
[1] Joanna Zelman, “Climate Change Correlates
With Fall of Rome, Tree Ring Study Suggests,” Huffington Post, last modified May 5, 2011, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/21/fall-of-rome-climate-change_n_810419.html.
[2] “The Fall of Rome,” Eyewitness to History, accessed November 14, 2012, http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com
[3] Ibid.
A large turning point in history for Rome began at what is termed by modern historians as, "The Battle of Adrianople." In 378 A.D, on the soil of modern Bulgaria, the Goths sought refuge in the Roman Empire in response to climate change driving them out of their former lands by the Huns.[4] The current emperor of the Roman Empire, Valens, being desirous of men from barbarian cultures to serve in the Roman army and protect the ever-weakening borders, arranged for the Goths to be allowed access to Rome via the Danube after being disarmed.[5] Although Valens may have been sincere, a majority of Roman officials meeting the Goths upon their arrival were not, and subjected them to crude treatment which resulted in a number of Gothic children being sold into slavery in order to provide food for Gothic tribes.[6]
Swindled by
Roman officials, the Goths soon, unsurprisingly, revolved against Roman forces.[7]
In response to this, Valens hastily went west with his forces and presented the
Goths with a battle.[8]This would
prove to be a major turning point in Roman history, however, in that Rome was
crushed by Gothic forces; the emperor Valens losing his life in the
battle. [9]
[4] Joe Zentner, “Adrianople, Last Great
Battle of Antiquity,” Historynet,
last modified October 2, 2007, http://www.historynet.com.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] N.S. Gill, “Valens and the Battle of
Adrianople (Hadrianopolis),” About,
accessed on November 14, 2012, http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/valens/a/Adrianople.htm.
[8] “The Battle of Adrianople
(Hadrianopolis),” Roman-Empire,
accessed November 14, 2012, http://www.roman-empire.net/army/adrianople.html.
[9] Ibid.
In
response to this, Flavius Theodosius Augustus, (more widely known as
Theodosius) came to power and sought to make good with the Goths by enrolling
thousands into the ranks of the Roman army[10].
He formed a treaty with the Goths in which he gave them land in exchange for their
military services.[11]
Nevertheless, the Goths continued to be seen as second class citizens in
the Roman world and were continually used as a type of "cannon
fodder" for future Roman wars. It wasn't long before the Gothic ruler got
wind of this, and in response marched into Italy and sacked Rome.[12] The
author of the Procopius describes this riveting moment:
"But when the appointed day
had come, Alaric armed his whole force for the attack and was holding them in
readiness close by the Salarian Gate; for it happened that he had encamped
there at the beginning of the siege. Aug. 24, 410 A.D. And all the youths at
the time of the day agreed upon came to this gate, and, assailing the guards
suddenly, put them to death; then they opened the gates and received Alaric and
the army into the city at their leisure. And they set fire to the houses which
were next to the gate, among which was also the house of Sallust, who in
ancient times wrote the history of the Romans, and the greater part of this
house has stood half-burned up to my time, and after plundering the whole city
and destroying the most of the Romans, they moved on."[13]
[10] Joe Zentner, “Adrianople, Last Great
Battle of Antiquity,” Historynet,
last modified October 2, 2007, http://www.historynet.com.
[11]
Ibid.
[12] N.S Gill, “Alaric King of the Visigoths
and the Sack of Rome in A.D 410,” About,
accessed November 14, 2012, http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/alaricthevisigoth/a/AlaricSackRome.html.
[13]“Alaric’s Sack of Rome,” Ancient History, accessed November 14,
2012, http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_text_procopius_sack.htm.
Ironically,
the Goths were not interested in destroying the Roman Empire, but rather
settling in their land and joining in the Romans success. The Roman Empire was
where prosperity was, and these foreign invaders longed for their own piece of
this extraordinary Empire. This continual migration, however, did eventually
leave its marks on Roman history. Ward-Perkins in his literary work "The
Fall of Rome" expresses this like so:
“Some
of the recent literature on the Germanic settlements reads like an account of a
tea party at the Roman vicarage. A shy newcomer to the village, who is a useful
prospect for the cricket team, is invited in. There is a brief moment of
awkwardness, while the host finds an empty chair and pours a fresh cup of tea;
but the conversation, and village life, soon flow on. The accommodation that
was reached between invaders and invaded in the fifth- and sixth- century West
was very much more difficult, and more interesting, than this. The new arrival
had not been invited, and he brought with him a large family; they ignored the
bread and butter, and headed straight for the cake stand. Invader and invaded
did eventually settle down together, and did adjust to each other’s ways - but
the process of mutual accommodation was painful for the natives, was to take a
very long time, and, as we shall see…left the vicarage in very poor shape.”[14]
Tim
Dunkin reviews this academic work and offers an interesting opinion when he
states in his article, "The Fall of Rome and The End of Civilization”, "One cannot help but see, even if to a much lesser extent, some parallels
between the western Roman experience with mass immigration and our own. While
the American experience does not involve mass acts of violence by our incomers
(the European experience can boast this to a lesser extent), it nevertheless
remains that America and Europe find themselves becoming the homes of
increasing numbers of migrants who are coming here as entire family groups and
refusing to assimilate, and are often hostile to the very concept of
assimilation. Immigration can often be beneficial to a society when it involves
small numbers and selective winnowing of the entrants. This is not so much the
case when it involved thousands or millions at a time, regardless of personal
capabilities, intelligence, or character, and who often refuse to do something
as simple as follow our laws in the process of immigrating. A
Stilicho (who was the son of a Vandal father) bringing over his abilities and
strengths is a net plus to his adoptive society; a Fritigern bringing across
tens of thousands of otherwise unremarkable and often criminally-inclined Goths
is not."[15]
[14] Ward-Perkins, Bryan. The Fall of Rome
and the End of Civilization. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005) 82-83.
[15] Tim Dunkin, “The Fall of Rome and The End of
Civilization – A Review,” Conservative
Crusader, last modified October, 14, 2012, http://www.conservativecrusader.com/articles/the-fall-of-rome-and-the-end-of-civilization-a-review.
These
points lead us to a very interesting place of inquiry. Could America also be
assimilated with Rome in the area of vast immigration and eventual invasion?
Although many would see it as a long shot, there are many who support this
thesis. Among them, Tim Case offers an interesting opinion shared by many
in his article, "Barbarians at the Gates" when he states, "I
must admit, the recent consternation over illegal immigrants marching, carrying
the flag of Mexico, demanding a "right" to work, and threatening a
general strike has brought a smile to my face. Not because I am in favor of
this invasion or wish to see the illegal aliens get their way. No, I am amused
at how history is repeating itself and few, if any, even notice."[16]
Case goes on to point out the correlations between the current hot political
button of immigration and ancient Rome's barbarian invasions. He goes further
to make a myriad of highly debatable statements, including, "When
you hear the masses of illegal immigrants calling for riots, murder, and
strikes, remember the Visigoth king Alaric and his assault on Rome. When you
hear illegal workers and their leadership demanding that the southwestern
states be returned to Mexico as the rightful owner, remember the collapse of
the Western Roman Empire. But most of all when you hear the lame excuses given
by policy makers and our leadership for giving into the demands of these
illegal malcontents remember, like Rome, it is the death rattle of a dying
empire." [17]
[16] Tim Case, “Barbarians At The Gates,” Lew Rockwell, accessed November 14,
2012, http://www.lewrockwell.com/case/case16.html.
[17] Ibid.
Similarly, as
Rome became increasingly fragmented due to large demographic change, America is
beginning to experience similar deep rumblings from within her borders, with the number of illegals in the United States averaging 11.5 million.[18] We hear echoes of
citizens in our distant past with statistics such as some 58% of Mexicans being surveyed as agreeing that
"the territory of the United States' Southwest rightfully belongs to
Mexico" and nearly the same number (57%) agreeing with the statement,
"Mexicans should have the right to enter the U.S without permission."[19] This
heated debate continues as many American citizens who formerly lived in the
southwest regions continue to depart for other areas, leaving the future of
such grey areas in our political and geographical spectrums largely
uncertain. [20]
[18] Julia Preston, “Illegal Immigrants Number
11.5. Million,” NY Times, last
modified March 24, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/us/illegal-immigrants-number-11-5-million.html?_r=1&.
[19] Sam Francis, "The Real Threat To America," VDare, last modified June 24, 2002, http://www.vdare.com/articles/the-real-threat-to-america.
[20] Ibid.
Many think
that our countries population imbalance has contributed to overuse of resources
and will significantly impact future generations in a negative way. They think
that remedying this will require immigration reduction and changes in public
policy. In 1972, the Presidential Commission on Population
Growth and the American Future recommended population control, stating,
"The health of our country does not depend on population growth, nor does
the vitality of business nor the welfare of the average person." [21]
Similarly to
Rome, many of these immigrants who migrate to America are, like the early
Germanic tribes of Europe, seeking a sort of refuge or "piece of the pie" from
American prosperity. In laymen's terms, "They want part of the action."
This fact alone doesn't seem to be critical enough. In fact, many of the
immigrants to America have proved to be beneficial to American society, such as
physicist Albert Einstein, architect Leoh Ming Pei and our former secretary of
state, Madeleine Albright. However, there is no denying the eerie resemblance
here to the emigration difficulties of the Roman Empire.
[21]
“The United States Is Already Overpopulated,” Fairus, last modified June 24, 2009, http://www.fairus.org/issue/the-united-states-is-already-overpopulated
Controversial
as these topics are, it is important to question examples from history. Could
it be that this demographic shift in the southwest may lead to immense
instability for future generations that mirrors the shift which pushed the
vaporization of the Roman Empire? It is hard to know where the course of the future
will turn as this issue has a myriad of different counter issues that require
more state involvement such as amnesty and deportation. Nevertheless, through
gazing intently at examples given to us by history, it is a valid point of
inquiry to any questioning mind. Indeed, America has had a 28% increase in immigration
since 2000, with the country hitting a new record of 40 million in 2010,
with 68% holding a job, 23% living in poverty, 36% using
at least one major welfare program, 29% lacking health insurance, 28% remaining
in the country illegally, and a reported 10.4 million students of immigrant
households in public schools.[22] Regardless
of the arguments on either side of this heated issue, this is one such
phenomenon that we will certainly see moving the course of history in our near
future. Like the early German and Gothic tribes of old in Rome, it is a true
synopsis that many citizens of foreign nations want a piece of the American
dream. Will the result of this be a haunting reflection of ancient history? The
answer to this question is merely on the horizon.
[22] Stephen A. Camarota, “Immigrants
in the United States, 2010,” CIS, last
modified August 2012, http://www.cis.org/2012-profile-of-americas-foreign-born-population
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