STRATEGY AGAINST BARBARIANS Ideal system that kept all Barbarians out thus stationing of large armies on the Rhine and Danube frontiers. Any Roman defensive system faced three major problems: Never permanently eliminate all enemies Wars partly dependent n factors outside the defensive system: leadership abilities Barbarian kings, disruption following civil war, famine in barbaric uim. Limited manpower and resources available. Weaknesses most troops on frontier so moving them to an area of trouble necessarily weakened another area, made the Emperor militarily weak as only possessed military power when with his army, 3 rd and 4 th century 3 field armies, or non-border armies developed. Border troops had three main roles: policing m gathering intelligence and stopping raids. OPERATIONS Developments strategy seem to have been limited in our period little change in the Barbarians military ability, no external factors that would have forced change operationally little change needed or occurred.
CONCLUSION Conventional Argument increasing barbarian pressure, army barbarized loses effectiveness, barbarian settlements collapse of the West. Barbarization is doubtful in both extent and impact, effectiveness sof the army did not decline 350 425 so collapse army after this period or not in the army at all. something wrong with the Late Roman Army Loss of Adrianople allowed settlement of Goths in Balkans, not new or worrying but when used against usurpers allowed creation if an identity never possessed by Barbarian groups Stilicho’s failure to beat the Goths not until 450 Goths a real pain in Gaul. Political and military events for the collapse of the Western Empire ot barbarization of inefficiency events had military and financial consequences. Only in decades after 450 was collapse inevitable connect this with loss of Africa reservoir of manpower and money not enough to bring empire down, and Armies still relatively strong.
The Essay on How and Why Political Systems change
How and Why Political Systems Change Since the creation of mankind the world has been continually changing. With each day, man develops, countries grow and political systems change. A political system is an important set of social institutions. Political systems have many functions. Political systems create resources for education, health, welfare, industry and foreign policy. Political systems ...
461 Severus faced with hostile Goths and Vandals, political instability could not conciliate with commanders in Gaul and Dalmatia no Roman leader could now deal with existing frontier Rhine and Danube, Goths in Gaul and Vandals in Spain Military failure may not have been a major cause of the Wests collapse, not military structural weakness too much pressure on the frontiers, defeat at Adrianople, too many civil wars, not enough soldiers all contributed to the fall of the West – do NOT need to add structural failure of the army to the list.
