As the empire expanded and grew more prosperous, the wealthy grew wealthier and wanted more trade goods from China because China had what they wanted the most. Their craving for Chinese silk , spices, and porcelain increased the amount of imports coming in to the empire. In return, Rome gave China little to nothing of what they were interested in, causing an unbalanced trade, which led to trade deficit among them (Duran). The bigger wealth disparity between the two upper class and lower middle classes created a power gap. The Senate would start taxing the middle and lower classes and not the upper class. However, any class conflicts would be avoided or ignored as long as Rome continued its conquest and the empire continued to expand.
In the beginning of 100 BC, Rome had began to decline. Although more land and territory were conquered after 100 BC, structural problems within the empire began to develop due to the over accumulation of land and previous conquests from the four wars. The economy was starting to fall apart and led to the separation of different provinces in Italy ("The Earth and its People "). At the same time, Rome felt that the declining provinces were not worth saving and left them on their own. Similar releases of one country or territory from political control by another country also happened in provinces around the Rhine and central Danube, which were abandoned by the central government ("The Earth and its People "). As Italy continue to suffer inflation, the rich grew richer and contributed less to the poor, which resulted in the lower class to grow poorer. Constant wars and overspending caused oppressive taxation and inflation that had widened the gap between rich and poor. As the financial crisis continue, Rome's internal trade network slowed down and began to fall apart. Another reason why Rome had started their downfall is due to their obsession in conquering lands.
