12. Roman society constantly faced and consistently failed
to solve the contradiction between centralism and local
interests and local rights. This contradiction increased
with increasing size, diversity and complexity.
13. Psychological forces played a part in the breakdown and
break-up of Roman civilization. People lost faith and hope.
They became disillusioned and cynical. They forgot the
common good and devoted themselves to the gratification
of body hungers. They turned from proud service of
fatherland to the pursuit of pleasure for pleasure's sake.
Romans lost freshness and vigor. Creativeness had never
been as highly regarded among the Romans as it was
among the Greeks. Life was lived closer to the surface. It
was confined more and more to the present. Growth in
the volume of Roman life sapped its vitality so that there
was less surplus for experiment and innovation as more
and more of the social income was devoted to meeting
overhead costs.
Moralists have insisted that the decline and dissolution of Roman
civilization resulted from the abandonment of moral standards.
Undoubtedly this was true. The upstanding womanhood and manhood of early
Rome was replaced by a wealth-seeking, pleasure-loving, parasitically
inclined population. But these features of Roman life under the empire
and during the period of Roman decline were the outcome of political,
economic and social forces that have characterized one civilization
after another.
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