[matt1234]

The "Barbarians" did not destroy Rome. They became Romans and extended Roman culture and maintained it

That is true of many barbarian tribes, but not all. Many Germanic and Gothic tribes were more hostile than friendly to the Roman Empire for most of its existence. Rome was sacked by Visigoths in 410.

[warchild9]

The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths was not official policy.

Alaric didn’t give his permission. His troops were hungry for loot and just went and did it.

The serious sacking came later, in 455, with Geiseric the Vandal in charge. Now, THAT was a party!

Read your history.

[arthurus]

Rome was sacked by a Roman General of Visigothic extraction when he and his troops didn't get paid. And yes, Rome as a unitary central entity went away but Roman Civilization lasted in France and Spain and to a lesser extent in Italy until the saracen Pirates choked off trade in the Mediterranean with their constant jihad. The paynim also forced the depopulation of coastal areas of Europe by their constant raiding and contributed to the later Viking raiding of North Europe because the Moslems bought the slaves the Vikings captured. The book is fascinating. It compares the views of different theories of the Fall so it is not a one-sided presentation. It is worth the price to buy it or the time to find it in the library. http://www.amazon.com/Mohammed-Charlemagne-Revisited-Controversy-ebook/dp/B006N0THLO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1374456995&sr=8-2&