Monday, September 29, 2014

HWH 9-29-14


Honors World History

Assessment 5 p. 177

 

1)   Key Terms:

2) How did military, political, social, and econ0mic factors combine to cause the fall of the Western Roman Empire?

A)            The Romans were unable to defend against foreign invasion because of the weakness of their armies and political rivalries among commanders.  Also, heavy taxes needed to finance the mercenary army hurt the economy, as did reliance on slave labor. Decline in moral values reduced the number of capable people willing to accept positions in public life.

3) How did Diocletian try to resolve the crisis affecting the Roman Empire?

A)            Crisis caused by political violence and instability; Diocletian divided the empire to make governing easier.

4) How did the successes of invaders such as the Huns reveal the fading power of the Roman Empire?

A)            Showed how weak the Roman army was

5) What features of the Western Roman Empire survived after the year 476?

A)            Roman culture, laws, and language survived

 

Focus Questions (37 -41)

37)   Why are political instability and frequent, violent changes in leadership a serious problem for a government?

They lead to lack of continuity and frequent changes in policies, weaken rule of law, decrease respect for and trust in government, make citizens fearful and uncertain, make long-term economic or social planning impossible, damage trade, and made businesses reluctant to invest

38)  How did over cultivation of land and the empire’s economic problems affect the status of small farmers?

The burden of high taxes led small farms to fail, forcing farmers to work on larges estates for landowners.  Farmers lost independence and the freedom to leave the land.

39)  Why did Rome’s internal problems make it harder to stop the Huns and other invaders?

Division of the empire, economic decline, power struggles among rival generals, and political instability all made the army less effective.

40)  How were military and social problems related?

Decline in such vales as patriotism and devotion to duty made the hiring of mercenaries necessary

41)   Why are the developments that ended the Roman Empire more correctly called a decline than fall?

They were gradual rather than sudden, and the Roman empire did not disappear completely.

 

Vocabulary (34 -39)

34)  Augustine - Bishop of Hippo in North Africa; combined Christian doctrine with Greco-Roman learning, especially the philosophy of Plato

35)   Diocletian - divided Rome into two parts to make it easier to rule; he kept control of Eastern Rome while Maximian ruled Western Rome; fixed prices of many goods; forced farmers to stay on land and forced sons to follow the occupations of their fathers

36)  Inflation - rapid rise of prices

37)   Constantinople - new capital established by Constantine

38)  Huns - nomadic people fo central Asia; played role in the Fall of Rome

39)  Mercenary - soldier serving in a foreign army for pay

 

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