The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire

• Identify the foundational political structures established during the early Roman Republic period

• Analyze the strategic military innovations that enabled rapid Roman territorial expansion across the Mediterranean

• Evaluate the economic consequences of the long conflicts against the Carthaginian civilization

• Examine the political erosion caused by the transition from Republic to autocratic rule

• Describe the formation of the Roman Empire under Augustus and his successors

• Assess the cultural achievements occurring during the period of relative Roman stability

• Explain the role of slave labor and trade networks in sustaining the imperial economy

• Identify the specific factors contributing to the internal instability of the later Empire

• Analyze the impact of migration and military conflict on the Roman frontier

• Examine the influence of Christianity on Roman social and political identity

• Evaluate the administrative decision to split the Empire into Eastern and Western halves

• Analyze the role of currency devaluation in the eventual collapse of the West

• Summarize the events leading to the fall of Rome in the fifth century

• Synthesize the lasting contributions of Roman governance and culture to modern society

• Compare the decline of Rome with other historical empire movements