Second, the most serious economic problems in Rome are caused by slavery and labor shortage. Roman cities mainly rely on the surplus products produced by slaves, but the labor undertaken by slaves is too heavy to supplement the slave ranks through reproduction. With the end of the foreign government war, the source of prisoners of war and slaves was cut off, resulting in less and less surplus products produced in rural areas; Slavery made Roman slave owners not care about developing production technology.
Third, there is a lack of civic ideals. In the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire could not rely on the civic ideal of the Republic, which was mainly caused by years of war and heavy tax burden. Regional differences, lack of public education and social stratification further hinder the formation of any unified public welfare spirit. The Western Roman Empire came to the end of history in people's general indifference.
Prosperity:
In the first and second centuries, with the consolidation of the unified empire, the adjustment of slave production relations and the improvement of slaves' living standards and legal status, Rome's social economy developed rapidly. Agriculture, handicrafts and commerce have all reached unprecedented prosperity. The prosperity of the Roman Empire was based on the prosperity of the urban bourgeoisie.
In the early days of the empire, the political stability of the empire, the order and peace within the empire, the establishment of the principle of private ownership of land, the "limited" protection of land owners by the state and the emergence of a large number of autonomous cities. Of course, the tendency of some freemen to despise labor and refuse to farm also promoted the development of big real estate. Although for various reasons, agriculture in Italy began to decline, but agriculture in various provinces developed rapidly.
The formation of the empire created favorable material conditions and promoted the outstanding development of industry and commerce. A relatively peaceful political atmosphere, first of all, is conducive to local exchanges. Residents of all ethnic groups can travel freely throughout the empire. From the Euphrates River to the Thames River, you don't need any passport, and business contacts are very convenient. In addition to objective conditions, the change of attitudes of all social strata towards industry and commerce is also conducive to the development of industry and commerce. The head of state and the new bureaucratic class from the knight class are not as dismissive of industry and commerce as the old elders and nobles. They are all concerned about economic interests, so industry and commerce have also developed by leaps and bounds.