EvanTurner594
Banned
How would germanic history and the fate of rome been affected by one single event that brought a psychological effect on them similar to 9/11 in america?
Rome didn't need to conquer the barbarians, just civilize them to the point where they were if not allies then could build a stable government apparatus much like Rome.
Not much would have changed, most likely. The Romans would have almost certainly made further inroads to Germania. They may have even been able to hold the low countries for the while, as the Batavi and Frisii who inhabited the area were Roman client states. However, the problems with conquering Germania extend beyond just one catastrophic battle. The land was swampy in many places, it was thick with forests from which the Germanics frequently waged guerilla warfare, and it likely would've been just too much work to hold for an extended period, given how violently opposed the Germanics were to Roman rule.
The Romans really didn't need those lands- like Britain, they were consistently a drain on Imperial coffers, required excessive military spending, and didn't provide any resources. Even Dacia, which was conquered significantly later, provided resource for the Empire. Of course, logic never had much to do with Roman warfare, so it's entirely likely that they would keep them, if it didn't become too difficult.
Silver and lead aren't important? Those were two motivators for the invasion in the first place.
I don't believe those were the motivators, or at least the full incentive to go out and conquer Britain. Claudius needed some sort of military success under his reign to cement his power, and Britain presented itself. Caesar had failed at it, which meant good press for Claudius if he succeeded, and it was remote from the Roman world.
Again, he also needed more silver and lead, for coins and pipes respectively. Claudius didn't just chase for prestige; IIRC he was a fairly intelligent and thoughtful emperor.