What factors encouraged ecomic growth during the Pax Romana?

Answer 1

There were several main factors: relative political stability, encouragement of trade, the empire acting as a common market, the Roman coins acting as a common currency, and the development of infrastructure.

Pax Romana (Roman peace) is a term historians have coined for the 207-year period or relative political stability in the Roman Empire which followed Augustus winning the final civil war of the Roman Republic, and establishing absolute rule by emperors. The relative stability which the tight control over Rome's politics, state and provinces (conquered territories) by emperors brought about was favourable to the development of thriving trading networks throughout the empire and beyond (Arabia, Persia, China, India, the Spice islands, in Indonesia, and Ethiopia). It was trade which drove economic growth.

Augustus and the following emperors pursued policies which promoted an increase in agricultural and manufacturing production so that more goods could be traded. The clearest example was Egypt, which became the breadbasket of the empire. Augustus promoted privatization of ownership of land and workshops to increase production for trade. Canals in disrepair were repaired and new ones were built to increase irrigation and the amount of cultivable land. Taxation was lowered (under the pre-Roman regime of the Ptolemies it was too high). Taxation policies which favoured enterprise were continued by the successors of Augustus

A stable empire acted as a common market where goods could circulate freely around its vast territory. The conquered peoples could benefit from this economically, facilitating their integration into the empire and it economy. The Roman coins became the common currency of the empire, which made the exchange of good easier.

Finally, the Romans built hundreds of thousands of miles of roads and hundreds of bridges and aqueducts. They also built ports and dams for flood control and/or irrigation.

Answer 2

excellent roads built all over the empire, perfect trade routes, rivers and the sea for shipping; superior form of government, on which ours is partly modeled; peace for many years; gainful employment;