There were many factors that allowed the Byzantine Empire to last a 1000 years after the end of the Roman Empire which include the fact that Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, was protected with walls that lasted almost the entire 1000 years, making Constantinople, and the center of the empire's economy/culture impervious to invaders.
The state has provided insurance that help with paying for medical needs and educational needs that are usually very expensive. This is important so that we don't have to pay for things like accidents, or education.
The historical origins of the free enterprise system are different for each perso just look around on google
