The collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD was not a sudden event, but the culmination of a centuries-long process of decay. Historians have debated the exact causes for generations, pointing to a complex interplay of internal vulnerabilities and external pressures. Economically, the empire was crippled by severe inflation, heavy taxation, and an overreliance on slave labour. As expansion halted, the steady influx of new slaves and plunder dried up, sending the Roman economy into a downward spiral. Politically, the empire suffered from gross administrative inefficiency and rampant corruption. The frequent assassination of emperors and the constant civil wars critically weakened the central government's authority and drained military resources. Externally, the relentless invasions by Germanic tribes, such as the Visigoths and Vandals, provided the fatal blow. Ultimately, Rome fell because it had grown too vast to govern, too expensive to maintain, and too fragile to defend against determined adversaries.