European Sea and River Cruises

Why was Western Rome’s fall more severe than China’s(Han Dynasty) and the Eastern Mediterranean (Byzantine)

Empire?

Kevin is right in mentioning the power vaccum left behind by the fall of the Western Empire. However governments fail all throughout history and yet there aren’t multiple periods of “Darkness”. Only 3 in western history I believe (Sumerian, Greek, Western Europe).

There are several factors that should be considered.
1. China is large in property but small in inhabitable land. I believe even today 90% of China lives on 25% of its real estate. So your not going to have the massive break down in communication like you had with the disappearance of the Empire.

2. Continuity. When the Han Dynesty fell they were replaced by… more Chinese. When Rome fell they were replaced by uncivilized and backward Barbarians from all over the world if you think about it. With the disappearnce of Rome came the disappearance of administration, government, social services, trade, defense, education, and security as well as massive agrarian projects and running water (infrastructure). Think about what the barbarians did. They destroyed the aquaducts. The very life blood of any civilization without having any means of rebuilding. The Chinese over threw to maintain or improve not to simply destroy.

3. This is a beaten horse but important nontheless… Christianity or more specifically the Roman Catholic Church which began to destroy the knowledge locked in Plato, Cicero, Thucididyes, and all the pagans and replaced it with heaven or hell doctrine, chaning the focus from making the world a better place to working to have a better afterlife. The Church was a catch 22 however. Though the church as an institution caused the west to become stagnant and really fall a thousand years backwards (its not until the age of enlightenment that humanity recaptures the same quality of life the Romans had) but the monks, the inner workers of the church also maintained the few works that were left, at great risk of course, which made them capable of taking advantage of the documents the Crusaders brought back with them many years later for Europe’s rebirth or Renissance.

The situation of Rome was much more dire then that of the Chinese. Which is why we marvel at such a great people no matter where you are in the world (The Japanese used Roman ranks and offices all the way through WWII). If you ever read up on the fall of Rome you’ll find it quite depressing and unfortunately all too famliar with modern day times. Imagine what would happen should the United States fall apart (do not believe it cannot happen, the Romans believed the same about themselves) then you can appriciate why the West fell apart the way it did.

Eastern Mediterranean Climate Variability