Reasons for the Fall of the Great Zimbabwe State

There are several reasons why the Great Zimbabwe State/Kingdom fell viz:

• Civil wars
• The rise of ambitious leaders who oppressed the people and declared war on each other
• Succession disputes which often led to civil wars and factionalism.
• The decline in trade
• Shortage of salt
• Overpopulation which led to shortages of resources such as pastures and arable land for farming.
• Exhaustion of minerals
• Refusal to pay tribute by vassal chiefs.
• Persistent droughts.
• The spread of deadly epidemics.
• Diseases such as cholera and smallpox that ravaged the closely populated people.

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