The transition between a monarchy and republic for the ancient city of Rome was a long process filled with endless power struggles (Spielvogel 88). As Rome grew, more people wanted a piece of this newly great world power. Military was a huge part in ancient Rome because it provided all of Rome’s wealth needed for sustention. Accordingly, great military leaders were popular with the Roman people because they brought in the money. A lot of people gained power this way, but some were just born into a powerful family. However, during this time of unrest, people were desperate to gain power even if it meant murder. By this method many leaders died even if they did not gain power through the military. In the Roman Republic, many leader either gained power through unorthodox measures, or they were terminated to be stopped from attaining ultimate power and support.
According to legend, Romulus founded the great city of Rome (Spielvogel 87). Romulus and Remus were the twin sons of the god Mars and Rhea Silva (Hughes 16). They were orphaned and raised by a she wolf. In disagreement over the city, Romulus killed Remus for having objections about the city (Hughes 17). Furthermore, Romulus became the first leader and king of Rome. Romulus abruptly disappeared from the face of the earth, and no one knows for sure what happened to the first king of Rome. Needless to say, a precedent was set by Romulus because he killed his brother in order to obtain supported power (Hughes 19).
Due to the growing evidence that Rome was having economical problems in 130 B.C., the Gracchus brothers believed Rome’s problem was the decline of small farmers and wanted change (Spielvogel 101). Tiberius Gracchus was a member of the aristocracy and a new tribune. He s...
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...ple would do whatever it took to stop it. This is why Gaius and Tiberius Gracchus were murder, because they offered a solution for the poor in Rome and the senators did not approve. From the beginning with Romulus, murder was a common method to get to power. Another common method was through military. As you can see in the case of Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Caesar and Octavian, a strong military in the time of Rome can get you far in the world of politics. Rome was a time that leaders arose and crumbled because of selfish ambition.
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Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization: A Brief History. 7th ed. Vol. 1. Boston: Wadsworth, 2011. Print.
Julius Caesar is the leader of Rome and is seeking to become king in a matter of time. Though he is a good military strategist, he lacks knowledge in running government and is too greedy to have any concern for the peasants when he is alive. Caesar is all about conquering and power and he is afraid of nothing. Before he is murdered, he says “The things that threatened me ne’er looked but on my back. When they shall see the face of Caesar, they are vanished” (II, ii, 575). Th...
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...
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Rome's Republican era began after the overthrow of the last Roman King Tarquin Superbus by Lucius Brutus in 509 BC(1), the Senate was ruled the by the people of Rome. The Roman Republic was governed by a largely complex constitution, which established many checks and balances, so no man could have complete control. The evolution of the constitution was heavily influenced by the struggle between the patricians and the other prominent Romans who were not from the nobility. Early in Rome’s history, the patricians controlled the republic, over time, the laws that allowed these individuals to dominate the government were repealed, and the result was the emergence of a the republic which depended on the structure of society, rather than the law, to maintain its dominance. This is similar to the creation of the American system of government. Starting with the over throw of t...
In looking at the late Roman Republic, one can find many different accounts on how politics worked in Rome. One of these accounts by Polybius gives us a sense of the way politics worked in Rome. Polybius believed, “in all politics, we observe two sources of decay existing from natural causes, the one external, the other internal and self produced” (Polybius 506). The second account by Cicero gives us a framework of how Roman politics play out, stating “The canvass for office resolved itself into an activity of two kinds, of which one is concerned with the loyalty of friends, the other with the feelings of the people” (Cicero 37). By examining these two different views of Roman politics: Polybius’ The Histories of
With the problems starting with the dissolution of the first triumvirate and the actions of Julius Caesar, it seemed almost inevitable that the Republic would become an Empire. With the death of the true republican, Cicero, and many not remembering what the republic was like, giving power to the capable and honorable man seemed as if the best answer. Furthermore, if the Rome continue to remain a Republic the Senate could not have maintained the success or power that the Empire held. The ambition of one man made it easy to continue the growth whereas, many of the policies and disputes the country faced had face might have taken to long or complicated had the republic
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As Rome became independent from the Etruscan ruling, its government walked away from having a monarch and transformed into a Republic as a way to avoid the tyranny that many times comes with an absolute autocrat. Rigorous precautions were taken from the start in order to keep the power balanced. Moreover, the structure of the government was meant to be resilient to bad judgment. The structure of the Roman Republic with its government and law provided for a more just system.
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The Roman Republic ultimately failed due to the lack of large-scale wars and other crises that had united the Roman populous early in the history of the Roman Republic. Roman leadership and honor became compromised. In the absence of war and crisis, Rome’s leaders failed to develop the honor and leadership necessary to maintain the Republic.
The Roman Republic was one of the three phases of the ancient Roman civilization that began with overthrowing the monarchy and ended with the imperial period from 509 B.C.E to 29 B.C.E. It was the biggest civilization at the time (Roman republic, 2014). Starting from First century B.C.E., the Republic’s complex constitution and laws started to weaken as the Republic grew. Because of its size and population, corruption and a continuous power vacuum are more likely to occur (M. Beard, 2011). The Republic was constantly expanding because the Romans needed slaves from wars (V. Gossack, 2012). The social inequality began to widen due to slavery and led to severe conflicts between different social classes (History.com, 2014). With its economy and agricultural production in decline, the Republic lost its grip on the empire and led to Octavian’s turnover in 27 B.C.E. Problems including social inequality, debt problems, deflation, slavery, urban decay and unemployment interconnected and pushed the Roman Republic to an imperial period.
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