There are records that show that when, towards the end of the Western Roman Empire, the Gothic leader Alaric invaded the Italian Peninsula, he had intelligence that the population of Rome was tired of its bureaucracy, and the bureaucracy itself demotivated the population, so the defense would be weak. And that's exactly what happened. When the invaders approached Rome, and the Roman leadership called on the population to defend the city, few responded to the call, as those who could have defended Rome hated Roman rule.