Collapse of the Roman Republic The fall of the Roman Republic was caused by more than just a single man or catastrophic event. It was caused by several actions and achievements by some individuals alongside social conditions that put pressure on Roman society. Also, rapid expansion from
Rome’s establishment as an underdeveloped city seven hundred years earlier until the middle of the first century BC, created significant holes in the governing and political governing ability of the senate. Around the time that Gaius Julius Caesar rose to power, the stage was set for just one man to assume power and stabilize the Roman Republic. Gaius Julius Caesar, who was previously a general and consul of Rome, had the biggest part in the fall of the
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He was eventually assassinated on the Ides of March in 44 BC by two war veterans who fought for Gnaeus Pompeius, M. Brutus, and C. Cassius. After defeating all of his enemies and before his assassination, Gaius Julius Caesar was granted a ten year dictatorship on the grounds of hoping he could restore the Roman Republic. Gaius Julius Caesar’s plan was to reconstruct himself as ruler of Rome in a Roman form of Hellenistic divine. Since the year 510 BC., the Romans were able to gain freedom by expelling their Etruscan King. The Roman citizens had the right to put an end to any attempt at tyranny by using political assassination which could be done without consequences. The word “Rex” was strongly disliked by the public mentality. Gaius Julius Caesar was wise enough to avoid the term as a personal title to himself. Caesar was all about being in control and having absolute authority. All at the same time he served as dictator, consul, and Pontifex Maximus. In 44 BC., Caesar declared himself as Dictator in Perpetuo which was inscribed on his coins. “Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC. The assassination was led by Gaius Cassius and Marcus Brutus. Most of the conspirators were senators, who had a variety of economic, political, or …show more content…
Virtually all the conspirators fled the city after Caesar’s death in fear of retaliation. The Civil war that followed destroyed what was left of the Republic.” (Flower 142)
The rule of one man had been established at this point in time in Rome. The only question that loomed was who was going to take Caesar’s place. The answer was his great grandnephew Octavian.
With the elimination of the dictatorship held by Gaius Julius Caesar, mass confusion spread throughout the Roman state as everyone was searching for some sort of a political power to reorder and organize everything.
Throughout the search for a new political leader, there were some individuals who stood out. Antonius, one of
Gaius Julius Caesar’s close friends Octavius, Caesar’s adopted son and heir, Sextus Pompeius, the son of
Caesar’s greatest enemy who was Pompey, and Aemilius Lepidus, Caesar’s master of the horse. All four of these candidates differed on their opinion on what they wanted to become of Rome.
Despite the fact of Gaius Julius Caesar’s brief tenure and policies of reform and stability, the toughness of his personality held the Roman Republic together for the course of his lifetime although he was the main cause for the fall of the Roman Republic. Shortly after his
From ages past, the actions of conquerors, kings and tyrants had brought the Roman Republic to a stance that opposed any idea of a singular leader, of a single man that held total power over the entirety of the state. Their rejection of the various ruthless Etruscan rulers that had previously dictated them brought the Republic to existence in 509 BC , and as a republic their prominence throughout the provinces of the world exponentially expanded. Throughout these years, the traditions of the Romans changed to varying degrees, most noticeably as a result of the cultural influence that its subject nations had upon the republic, as well as the ever-changing nature of Roman society in relation to then-current events. However, it was not until the rise of Augustus, the first of a long line of succeeding emperors, that many core aspects of the Republic were greatly changed. These were collectively known as the “Augustan Reforms”, and consisted of largely a variety of revisions to the social, religious, political, legal and administrative aspects of the republic’s infrastructure. Through Augustus, who revelled in the old traditional ways of the past, the immoral, unrestraint society that Rome was gradually falling to being was converted to a society where infidelities and corruption was harshly looked upon and judged. The Roman historian Suetonius states, “He corrected many ill practices, which, to the detriment of the public, had either survived the licentious habits of the late civil wars, or else originated in the long peace” . Through Augustus and his reforms, the Republic was transformed into an Empire, and through this transformation, Rome experienced one of its greatest and stabl...
During the Republic, the people of Rome had a major disinclination towards any sort of Royalty, which is why when Caesar attempted to lead undemocratically indefinitely, he disrupted one of the core stances that romans shared communally. Caesar over indulged in power when he retitled himself as ‘dictator in perpetuo’. “And as Caesar was coming down from Alba into the city they ventured to hail him as king. But at this the people were confounded, and Caesar, disturbed in mind, said that his name was not King, but Caesar, and seeing that his words produced an universal silence, he passed on with no very cheerful or contented looks…..But the most open and deadly hatred towards him was produced by his passion for the royal power.” Caesars egotism and self-importance made him uncherished by members of the senate. “Everybody knew that Caesar's ego would never allow him to play second fiddle to another senator, and it was equally well-known that another famous military leader, Pompey the Great, had similar ambitions. In January 49, more or less at...
...would stand for a few years after Caesar’s death, praises would not stop and the Republic would soon fall seventeen years later to the man that inherited Caesar’s name and fortune.
and he still killed him. Brutus was the only character of the conspirators that was killed
Julius Caesar elected himself as the dictator of Rome. He became a favorite to many of the people of the lower classes. Unlike many leaders, Caesar valued the poor. Most people agreed with his decisions, but some of the higher classes’ did not. On March 15 44 BCE, now called the Ides of March, a few of Caesars’ closest peers decided to murder Caesar. Marcus Brutus killed Julius Caesar, on March 15.
Julius Caesar (July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general, statesman, Consul, and author of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. On March 15 44 B.C.E, the Roman dictator Julius Caesar was murdered. There are multiple accounts of this incident, while all accounts came after the death of Caesar, the writing on the incident portray Julius Caesar to have been a selfish dictator.
Over the span of five-hundred years, the Roman Republic grew to be the most dominant force in the early Western world. As the Republic continued to grow around the year 47 B.C it began to go through some changes with the rise of Julius Caesar and the degeneration of the first triumvirate. Caesar sought to bring Rome to an even greater glory but many in the Senate believed that he had abused his power, viewing his rule more as a dictatorship. The Senate desired that Rome continued to run as a republic. Though Rome continued to be glorified, the rule of Caesar Octavian Augustus finally converted Rome to an Empire after many years of civil war. Examining a few selections from a few ancient authors, insight is provided as to how the republic fell and what the result was because of this.
Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) was one of the most outstanding leaders in history. He was the first ruler of the Romano-Hellenic civilization and achieved his goals with great success throughout his life of 56 years. He was assassinated by the conspirators, who accused him of practicing tyranny. This essay will discuss whether it was right for the conspirators to murder Caesar and what its consequences were. The conspirators were wrong to kill Julius Caesar because he contributed to the upturn and reformation of Rome into an orderly state.
Julius Caesar’s dictatorship in Rome is a key element in the gradual transition of our government from what
Octavian was a tough man from the start. When he found out that Julius Caesar was murdered, he didn't hesitate to claim his position as Rome's ruler. He immediately left his place of study at Dalmatia, and hurried back to Rome. His family wasn’t too happy about him wanting to rule. They were afraid that he would meet an early demise just as his uncle had. (Sizgorich) Being 18, most would shy away from the experienced commander Mark Antony, but he met Antony head on. Octavian was fearless. The trouble began when Mark Antony was expecting to become the successor to Caesar, but instead Octavian was. This angered Mark and he didn't give up any of Caesar's inheritance, causing Caesar to have to pay for things out of pocket. (Grant) Changing his name to Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, Octavian was able to win the support of many of Julius Caesar’s veterans. (Sizgorich) Caesar also si...
However, when the Senate gave enormous power to Pompeius in 67-66 BC, Caesar began speaking in favor of democracy in his public appearances (Holland, 2005). In particular, Caesar proposed to revive the almost forgotten procedure for the Court of the national assembly. In addition to democratic initiatives, Caesar was a model of generosity. In 65 BC, Caesar was elected aedile. His functions included the organization of urban construction, transport, trade, and the daily life of Rome. Caesar arranged expensive spectacles for the Romans, including a magnificent theater, gladiator fights, and public dinners, which won him popularity in the wider circles of the Roman population (Wyke, 2008). He spent almost all his money on these features, so he became almost bankrupt by the end of the year. Huge debts, several hundred of gold talents threatened his future career. In short, Caesar tried to strengthen his popularity among citizens in every possible way, playing an increasingly important role in public life. The success of Caesar's office of aedile, however, allowed him to be elected Pontifex Maximus in 63 BC, which gave him an opportunity to get rid of his
...they backed Caesar (such as Brutus). Ultimately Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times, his opponents wanted him dead, and in fact stabbed many of their co-conspirators in the fight . They were not honorable at all in killing him.
Julius Caesar was a strong leader of the Romans who changed the course of the history for the Roman world decisively and irreversibly. With his courage and strength, he created a strong empire and guided the empire for almost 20 years. His life was short, but had many adventures. I will tell of some of this man’s remarkable life. He did many things, therefore, I will only discuss a few. His name, part of his reign, one of his greatest battles, and his death will be told.
“He is said to have been tall of stature… except that towards the end.” What was it that really led to the fall of the Roman Republic? There are a lot of different factors to consider when trying to determine what caused the collapse. By examining The Rubicon, The Life of Julius Caesar, and some accompanying handouts from class, this paper will discuss how the Roman Republic did not collapse because of one factor. The collapse of the Roman Republic was like that of a game of Jenga. Factors were pulled out of the Republican system just like a game of Jenga until the Republic could not stand anymore.
Caesar’s power in Rome was growing, and people were afraid he was going to turn Rome into a monarchy. However, Caesar did not want to be known as a king, but he was appointed dictator for life.