The Geographical Dictionary of Ancient and Mediaeval India c1.2

c1.2

The fall of the Roman Empire was not the result of a single cause, but the consequence of a long series of events, which had been operating for centuries. The empire had been in a state of decline for a long time, and it was only a matter of time before it would collapse. The barbarians, who had been pressing on the frontiers of the empire for centuries, finally broke through, and they were able to conquer the empire because it was no longer able to defend itself. The fall of the Roman Empire was a great tragedy, but it was also a necessary event, for it cleared the way for the rise of the new nations of Europe.