Republic Ancient Rome

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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.

Works Cited

Bingham, Jane, Fiona Chandler, Jane Chisholm, Gill Harvey, Lisa Miles, Struan Reid, and Sam Taplin. Encyclopedia of the Ancient World. London: Usborne, 2002. Print.
Hughes, Robert. Rome. New York: Knopf, 2011. Print.
Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization: A Brief History. 7th ed. Vol. 1. Boston: Wadsworth, 2011. Print.

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