Historian A: Edward Gibbon – Economic and Political Decline

"Gibbon argued that the fall of Rome was primarily due to economic decline, political corruption, and loss of civic virtue. He believed that internal weaknesses, such as high taxes, inflation, and ineffective leadership, made the empire vulnerable to external threats. Gibbon emphasized that these internal problems weakened Rome from within, allowing barbarian invasions to succeed when the empire was already weakened."

Historian B: Bryan Ward-Perkins – Barbarian Invasions as the Main Cause

"Ward-Perkins contended that the barbarian invasions directly caused the fall of Rome. He argued that these invasions, especially the sack of Rome and the fall of key cities, disrupted trade, agriculture, and governance. According to him, the invasions were decisive in ending Roman control and led to the transformation into medieval Europe. He focused on the immediate impact of these invasions rather than internal decay."