"There was no possibility of Augustus consolidating Europe with wars against the barbarians. Only genocide, which was not possible, could have solved the problem of a declining population in the civilized world and an increasing one in the barbarian world. Rome fell to economics and demographics; Augustus had not the power to change that. He did attempt legislation designed to increase the the population of free Roman citizens, but such attempts have always failed. His attempt shows that he was aware of the danger to Rome of a shrinking population and the resultant diminishing of an economic base exacerbated by a rapacious equestrian order. He must have been familiar with the fate of Sparta which went the same way."


I am not sure I can agree with you with the idea that Rome fell due to economics. It is true that this was a symptom later in the empire that alarmed all to the sickness which it had, but I think it was brought about by ceaseless civil war and the strain it puts on manpower and resources. With a period of some 150 years of expansion after Augustus he could have hardly seen the end I think.

Would it have been genocide, would it have been a strain on the empire, both yes, but one wonders over the end result.