Why Do Empires Collapse?

Why do Empires Collapse?

Empires collapse for many different reasons. We typically break these reasons into 3 Categories:

• Internal Causes

• External Causes

• Corruption

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Why do Empires Collapse?

Internal factors are things that come from within an empire

• ​unfair taxes

• disagreement between social groups

• poor leaders

• bad laws

• differing religious beliefs

Internal Causes

External causes are things that come from outside of an empire.

• ​being attacked by an outside group

• natural disasters

• diseases

• Extensive borders

External Causes

Corruption refers to dishonest behavior by people in power. Corruption in the government could refer to:

• Bribery

• ​Extortion

• Influence Peddling

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Corruption

Corruption could contribute to other internal and external causes.

Multiple Choice

Which of these was NOT one of the major factors that lead to the fall of empires

• Internal

• Corruption

• External

• Disease

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would be considered an external cause for a collapsing empire?

• Bribery

• Natural Disasters

• Poor Leadership

• Unfair laws

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of corruption?

• Famine leads to many people in an empire starving

• A disease spreads throughout a city

• An officer takes money from a senator to arrest a political rival

• A civil war divides people within an empire

Multiple Choice

Which of these would be an external factor?

• A natural disaster ruins a nation's economy

• Government officials raising money to build new roads

• A civil war

• Religious disagreements create social unrest

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT an internal factor

• A Civil War

• Unreasonable taxes

• Unfair laws

• Disease

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT an example of corruption?

• Influence Peddling

• Natural Disasters

• Bribery

• Extortion

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of an internal cause?

• An empire's borders become too large to defend

• Citizens feel that some laws are unfair, causing an uprising

• A senator accepts bribes to vote against a law

• An army from another civilization attacks an empire