What began the development of the two distinct european civilizations of the western roman empire and the eastern byzantine empire?

If the choices are:

A.  Leaders of the Catholic Church had a major disagreement in the seventh century.

B.  In the sixth century, trade flourished in the eastern regions but not in the west.

C.  Around 400 C.E., Germanic tribes took over much of the empire's western territories.

D.  In 395, the sons of Theodosius I each became emperor of part of the empire.

The correct answer is:  D

the correct answer option is: weapons.

explanation:

tensions rose as the two opposing superpowers competed for 'weapons'.

referring to the cold war (1945-1991), the two superpowers, usa and ussr, experienced a phase of struggle and conflict with each other. these two superpowers considered each other as a threat to their survival and thus opted for policies to strengthen their positions.

the two superpowers never went to war with each other directly but competed for weapons to preserve their positions.