Social and Economic Effects on the Roman Empire

Social and Economic Effects on the Roman Empire
After reading Russell’s article, I learned that the plague had devastating social and economic effects on the Roman Empire. Before the plague, the Roman Empire had excellent morale, enough financial resources, and sufficient manpower (Russell 178). Unfortunately, the plague abruptly hit the Empire, reducing its population drastically. It also led to economic depression, forced population readjustment, altered relations among sections of the Empire, and created situations increasingly sensitive to tragedies (Russell 181). Within a financial system that predominantly derived its revenues from the taxation of people and land, the failure in the face of mass fatalities must have threatened the sustainability of the economy. The smaller taxpayer pool would immediately have had to bear the similar levies burden, inevitably overburdening their resources and culminating in financial difficulties. The article relates to other readings as it recognizes plagues’ potential to cause global paradigm shifts in economic and social systems.
The reading has impacted my thinking concerning contemporary issues, especially regarding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Russell indicated that the plague had unprecedented ramifications on the sixth- and ...