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The Fall of the Roman Empire

Explore the key factors and events that led to the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Grade 8 Social studies HistoryAncient CivilizationsFall of the Roman Empire
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Multiple ChoiceFill in the BlanksShort AnswerTrue / FalseWord Bank

Standards

D2.His.3.6-8D2.His.4.6-8

Topics

Roman EmpireHistoryAncient CivilizationsFall of Rome
7 sections · Free to use · Printable
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The Fall of the Roman Empire

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Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. Use complete sentences for short answer questions.

1. Which of the following was NOT a major contributing factor to the fall of the Western Roman Empire?

a

Economic decline and inflation

b

Invasions by barbarian tribes

c

The rise of Christianity

d

Political instability and corruption

2. The division of the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western halves was primarily initiated by which emperor?

a

Julius Caesar

b

Augustus

c

Diocletian

d

Constantine

3. The last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was deposed in the year  .

4. The Huns, led by  , put immense pressure on the Roman Empire's borders, contributing to its decline.

5. The capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, which continued to thrive after the Western Empire's fall, was  .

6. Explain how the vast size of the Roman Empire contributed to its eventual decline.

7. Describe two internal problems (excluding economic issues) that weakened the Roman Empire from within.

8. The Eastern Roman Empire fell at the same time as the Western Roman Empire.

T

True

F

False

9. The Roman army was always composed entirely of Roman citizens throughout the Empire's history.

T

True

F

False

Use the words below to complete the sentences.

Barbarian
Byzantine
Inflation
Mercenaries

10. The Roman Empire often hired   to supplement its army, which sometimes led to loyalty issues.

11. The term   was used by Romans to describe people who lived outside their borders, often seen as uncivilized.

12. The Eastern Roman Empire is often referred to as the   Empire by historians.