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Was the Roman Empire ended by "barbarians"? In this latest masterpiece by Princeton University historian Professor O'Donnell, we will discover that the decline of the Roman Empire can by no means be summed up by a simple sentence: "Barbarism always defeats civilization." Culturally, the Romans respected Greek culture, but regarded other conquered peoples as "barbarians" and believed that they did not need to respect these peoples and cultures, nor did they need to promote Roman culture to them. But you must know that no society can rely solely on force to protect itself. Economically, the fragile economic model of the Roman Empire directly resulted in a long period of poverty and misery, all of which could have been avoided. The Romans also discovered, slowly and the hard way, that religion could powerfully shape society and promote the common good, but it also brought conflict and division. Empires are not eternal, and those things that should have been possible but haven't are always like a shadow hanging over past successes. The decline of the Roman Empire also foreshadowed today's crisis and provided reference for solving today's crisis.