WILL MARK BRAINLIEST The year 476 is given as the date of the fall of the Western Roman Empire because .

The Roman general Odoacer overthrew the last Roman emperor Romulus Augustulus.

Explanation:

The very act of the fall of the Western Roman Empire is a classic act of military coup. The young emperor Romulus Augustulus did not have the capacity to oppose the Roman general. After the fall of the empire, Odoacer did not want to execute the Roman emperor, which is enough to say that he did not pose any threat. The fall of the Roman Empire is the product of decades of weakening of the empire's institutions. With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Rome was not destroyed since its eastern half, also known as Byzantium, continued to exist for about 1,000 years.