The Decline and Fall of Imperial Rule in the Period 600 Bce to 600 Ce Demonstrated by Rome and the Han Dynasty

...

decline was the lack of focus that governments were able to devote to specific jobs that were vital to the economic well being of the empire as a whole. Issues related to the collection of taxes were a leading cause of the financial decline of various Empires. At times, there were specific social classes that were exempt from paying taxes and other times when the government grew too large to pay its debts through taxation alone. A prime example of this dilemma can be found within The Han dynasty. Their economic demise partnered with self corruption led to t he total collapse in 220 CE. Han China could not raise enough revenue in taxes because scholar-officials were exempt, and peasants frequently evaded paying tax collectors. Similar to the Han Dynasty, the Roman Empire collapsed in 476 CE as it could not tax church land or landowners efficiently, thus leading to easily evaded payments. The lack of money customarily generated through tax collection contributed to poorly attended roads and the general lack of maintenance. Ultimately trade was negatively affected and, in the long run, transportation became more difficult.

The common theme found in such decline seen in Rome and the Han China was the lack of strength and structure within the state itself. Roman and ultimately Han citizens questioned the imperial guidance and the rulers’ capability to preserve the empire and direct related economic endeavors. In Han China, basic Confucian bureaucracy was simply not able to ward off others from attacking. The Han dynasty was not littered with the corruption experienced by the Roman Empire, but it lacked the complexity and structure needed to develop and expand a self-sufficient and stable dynasty. Rapid overexpansion characterized the Imperial decline as the most prominent cause, but the internal instability of the Roman Empire and the Han dynasty would eventually lead to imperial decline and their ultimate collapse.