Western Roman recovery?

There are surprisingly not many threads about the Western Roman Empire. Is there any chance for recovery after the Third Century Crisis?
 
There are surprisingly not many threads about the Western Roman Empire. Is there any chance for recovery after the Third Century Crisis?

The whole crisis wasn't that bad, and WRE collapse wasn't inevitable until the loss of Africa to the Vandals.

Even if restricted to Italy and North Africa and surrounded by barbarian kingdoms, the Empire was still useful to western Europe, with the shopping of grain to North Africa.
 
I have two concerns when it comes to the Western Roman Empire:

  1. Are there enough Roman/Italian people left in the Italian Peninsula to make a functioning, unified country?
  2. Are there enough upper class people willing to endure the hardships necessary to make a functioning country as opposed to relying on foreigners and corruption to keep their lives comfortable?
Also, despite the best efforts of people like Majorian and Anthemius, I don't think Italy + North Africa had the ability to maintain Roman control over Gaul and Hispania. Finally, if Egypt falls to the Muslim Conquests, I suspect a weak West cannot defend North Africa.
 
I have two concerns when it comes to the Western Roman Empire:

  1. Are there enough Roman/Italian people left in the Italian Peninsula to make a functioning, unified country?
  2. Are there enough upper class people willing to endure the hardships necessary to make a functioning country as opposed to relying on foreigners and corruption to keep their lives comfortable?
Also, despite the best efforts of people like Majorian and Anthemius, I don't think Italy + North Africa had the ability to maintain Roman control over Gaul and Hispania. Finally, if Egypt falls to the Muslim Conquests, I suspect a weak West cannot defend North Africa.

1. Probably.
2. Probably not.

If you look at some of the recorded expenditures of Roman Senators in the 4th and 5th centuries, they clearly had plenty of wealth, and yet their government was never able to raise the money it needed. One suspects either a very inefficient state administration or a lack of concern on the part of the Senators for the wider Empire.

That said, if the Western Empire does manage to survive past the fifth century, there's still plenty of time for it to reform before the Muslim conquest come their way. It might well be able to fight them off.
 
Id like to see a United Western Roman Empire TL
though I do think they would abandon the British Isles so the natives might still hire Germans as mercs to fight the Scots
 
If you look at some of the recorded expenditures of Roman Senators in the 4th and 5th centuries, they clearly had plenty of wealth, and yet their government was never able to raise the money it needed. One suspects either a very inefficient state administration or a lack of concern on the part of the Senators for the wider Empire.

Prior to 407 or so, the western empire didn't need money; and after that point, once the barbarians were through the breach, there's a widespread breakdown in how the empire is run. For instance, these huge estates were confiscated by barbarians...
 
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