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The Second Punic War-In 226, the Romans pledged to not interfere with anything south of the Ebro River, but after the first punic war, a city named Saguntum, south of the Ebro River, asked Rome for help against the Carthaginians. The Roman Senate responded favorably, and ignored the pledge. The Romans helped, but the Carthaginians won when Saguntum fell under their siege. This lead to the Romans declaring war, which was the Start of the Second Punic War. This war last from 218 BC until 201 BC, and caused Rome greater stress than the first war. Carthaginian General Hannibal marched a force of troops and elephants through the Alps to invade Italy. At the battle of Cannae in 216, Hannibal killed over 30,000 romans in one day. Hannibal also had …show more content…
Because Hannibal stayed for a decade, more than 50 percent of Roman adult males spent at least seven years serving in the military. This disrupted the Roman agriculture greatly because the wives and children could not manage the upkeep of the farm, so the family would go into debt and ultimately had to sell their land to upper class land owners. These wealthy land owners would then take the lands and create huge estates called latifundias. Around this time, there was also an influx in the Roman population, so Rome was not only had landless and poor families, but it was full of these people, which made Roman politics very divided. The Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, tried to solve this problem. Tiberius won plebeian tribune in 133 BC, and upset the Senate greatly through his reforms. He redistributed public lands to landless Romans, financed this reform without permission from the senate, and decided to stand as tribune for the following year which was unconstitutional. Ultimately, his agrarian reforms, and other policies made the Senate so made that they arranged to murder him, and did in 133 BC. His brother, Gaius was elected tribune in 123 and 122 BC. Gaius continued Tiberius’s agrarian reforms, pushed public works for the poor so they could have employment, proposed to give citizenship to some Italians, and establish trials for senators …show more content…
Because they decided to go against the rich and powerful senate by giving power and land to the poorer people, and power to the etruscans, they were both killed by the senate. This shows that during this time, the Senate was so powerful that they were not to be messed with. The rich were oppressing the poor, and did not like it when any power was given to these people. By them killing the Gracchi brothers it definitely sent the message that the senate is not to be messed with. This also furthered the division of the time. There were now to groups of people, the populares, which were the people who promoted the ideas of the common people, and the optimates, which were the people who promoted the interest of the rich or nobles. Overall, the murder and forced suicide of the Gracchi brothers created even more political unrest, division, and violence throughout the
His first contribution to Rome’s downfall came in the form of the formation of the First Triumvirate, which enabled him to illegally take Gaul, and further undermine the senate. Caesar made his way to power by gaining important alliances. Unlike Marius, he was born into a fairly important high class family in Rome. The First Triumvirate, formed in 60BC was composed of himself, Crassus and Pompey. Crassus was the wealthiest man in Rome at the time, and Pompey had just been awarded his third Triumph. The mere existence of such a group undermined the ideals of the senate, as it worked on the basis that no one man could have enough power to do anything without the support of the senators. The Triumvirs worked to achieve their own individual goals, whilst simultaneously supporting one another. Caesar was consul in 59BC, with Marcus Bibulus, and made the sheer influence of the three men public with the introduction of his land redistribution law. Crassus and Pompey supported this proposal, and Pompey filled Rome with his soldiers. Bibulus tried to void the law but Caesar’s armed supporters drove him out of the senate and forced him into house arrest. This meant that Caesar essentially had a sole consulship and gained enough power and support to overturn his proposed governorship and allowed himself
Around the time of which Tiberius and Gaius Gracchi gained power through being voted by the popular assembly, Rome was already in crisis, one of the reasons owing to the shrinking army force. Thus although the Gracchi were motivated by a genuine concern for the welfare of Rome, ultimately their actions (and the events surrounding these) contributed to the decline of the Republic, but did not play a significant part. These ambitious brothers saw that changes must be made before the situation got worse; their land reform ideas were of the many goals/ideas and thus turned actions they undertook in an attempt to improve the general structure of their state’s society. Some of these even marked a turning point in Roman political history, ultimately making the Gracchi brothers revolutionists of Rome.
"When Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus sought to establish the liberty of the common people and expose the crimes of the oligarchs, the guilty nobles took fright and opposed their proceedings by every means at their disposal" - Cicero. The Gracchi brothers were clearly well intentioned men who had the interests of Rome at heart, instead of their own, which was a common attitude amongst the other senators. The reforms of the Gracchi were long over-due and their programs were genuine attempts to deal with Rome's problems. During the Gracchi's existence, Rome was facing a number of social, political and economic problems. They were frustrated with the conservatism and selfishness of the oligarchy and so adopted methods which threatened the balance between the senate, the magistrates and the people which had existed for a very long time - in this way they can be regarded as revolutionary. It is likely that they interpreted the problems far too simply, and they failed to see that Roman society had changed. The Senate also failed to see these changes and reacted to the Gracchi's actions in the only way they could - violence. The senate felt threatened by the Gracchi's methods, and as a result violence was used for the first time in Roman politics.
If the second Punic war is to be discussed, I think it is very important to discuss the first Punic war and its motivations and outcomes, because there is a significant link between the two. Of course, as we know a second of anything is made possible by the first, and in the case of the Punic wars, the first war not only made way for the second, it also gave birth and motivation to one of the greatest and most influential participants of the second Punic war, Hannibal. As we explore the dusk of the first Punic war to the dawn of the second, we can see how Hannibal as a military commander was destined to wreak havoc on the Roman military.
The Punic Wars left an impact on Western Civilization because it was a turning point for Rome. Rome used to be a tiny city-state that had no potential to become an imperial power, by the time the Punic Wars are won, Romans would have dominance over the Mediterranean power. Rome’s survival was challenged over and over again, but Rome thrived on their victories. But one by one, city-states joined Rome. This was allowing them to gain more power. Carthage was fearful of Rome and it escalated into a conflict, which led to the Punic Wars. (Frankforter & Spellman, 141) The Punic Wars are made up of three different wars. The Carthaginians lost all three wars. The cost of the first war was that the Carthaginians lost Sicily and they had to pay reparations. The cost of the
After taking part in the campaign of 146 BC, which ended with the destruction of Carthage, Tiberius was elected quaestor in 137. Travelling through Etruria, Tiberius saw large estates worked by slaves and noticed the absence of free peasants. It is said that Tiberius realized the need for reform while visiting this province on his way to Spain. There, Tiberius served in a war against Numantia under the consul Mancinus. After suffering numerous defeats in battle, Mancinus attempted to abandon camp. However the Numantines, realizing what was happening seized the camp before they could escape. Tiberius saved the Roman army from slaughter by securing a treaty with the Spaniards. When they returned to Rome, Tiberius was seen as a saviour and blame was placed on the incompetent generals who were handed back to the Spaniards for execution. Tiberius himself escaped judgement by the skin of his teeth. According to Plutarch, ‘It would seem…that Scipio, who was then the greatest and most influential man at Rome helped to save them’ (1988, 159)
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was born in approximately 163 B.C.E to Tiberius Gracchus the Elder and Cornelia Africana. Gaius Gracchus, his younger brother, was born in 154 B.C.E. In the 2nd century B.C., the two brothers formed “The Gracchi”. The two, born plebeians, belonged to one of the most influential families in Rome, the Sempronia. Their father was the tribune of the plebs, the praetor, consul and censor. Fatherless from a young age, they were taught democratic views by tutors. As they grew older and gained influence, their goal became to restructure Rome in a way that benefited the underprivileged and unfortunate. At the time, their help was especially welcome as members of the Populare, a political group whose purpose was to serve the people, rather than the aristocracy (like the Optimates). The ideals of the Gracchi leaned towards what people today would call populism or socialism; in fact, they are almost reverently called “the founding fathers” (Fife 1) of the aforementioned political parties. The brothers were perhaps so interested in restoring the rights of the people because of the dichotomy of their plebeian births within a noble line.
Marius made a major step in pushing the Republic towards constitutional upheaval when, in 107 B.C., he abolished the property requirements for military service (Meier, 29). Not only did these impoverished soldiers depend on their commander rather than the State for their fiscal support, but they were also promised land in newly conquered provinces upon the completion of the service. While enlarging the pool from which the Roman Army drew its volunteer soldiers, this change in policy brought about a dangerous shift in political power. It was for this reason that the Senate opposed nearly every land law placed before it. If a gifted commander was able to enrich his soldiers through plunder, and give them land to settle after the campaign, “the soldiers might feel a greater obligation to their commander than to the Senate (Meier, 29).” This circumstance is an essential ingredient for civil war, more so, possible, than any other.
Tiberius Gracchus tried to reform laws of landowners for plebeians. After his death, his younger brother Graius Gracchus attempted to continue his work. The senators of Rome were illegally taking land at the time to better themselves, and the Gracchi brothers goal was to create laws to put an end to this. Both brothers even renounced their status as patricians in order to try to accomplish this. The government was against the work of Gracchi brothers because it would involve them giving up the land they illegally acquired. Tiberius was assassinated because of this. Graius then continued the work of his brother has his assassination. On top of the land reform laws, Graius also tried to pass laws regulating the price of grain. I do not think
By the time the first war broke out, Rome had established themselves as the dominant power over the Italian peninsula. Carthage was a very powerful city-state in northern Africa and had made a name for themselves as the leading maritime leader in the world. Maritime means they are located near the sea and have many things to do involving the ocean. The first war broke out when Rome interfered with a dispute on the Carthaginian controlled island of Sicily. The war ended with Rome controlling Corsica and Sicily. The second war started when Hannibal invaded Italy and had two signature victories at Lake Trasimene and Cannae but was eventually defeated by Roman general Scipio Aemilianus which left Rome in much control of the Mediterranean Sea and a big section of Spain. The third war ended with Rome invading and capturing carthage in 146 B.C. led by Scipio which turned yet another big country into a Roman empire.
By 6th century BC, the city of Rome came into power. During this growing power, Rome began fighting other civilizations to expand its territory. Amongst these populations was Rome’s long time friend Carthage. Rome soon became greedy and made war on Carthage in the Second Punic War (Defusco). The Punic Wars lead Rome to gain territories along the Mediterranean basin. At the end of the Third Punic War, Rome defeated Carthage and became the major Mediterranean military power (Windows on Italy- History).
Marius paved the road that inspired many to follow in his footsteps, as Caesar and Octavian, which led to the breakdown of the Republic. Marius held consulship for a record breaking seven years, completely disregarding the Lex Annalis, and leaving the senate looking slightly powerless in the eyes of its people. Also, Marius used war and corruption on his side in order to hold his political power in Rome, knowing full well he was needed to fend off invasions especially from the north. By abolishing the Servian laws, he also allowed the landless and the poor to join in the army, which created status problems for the Romans, and encouraged others to follow right along with his creation of a professional, private army through the Marian Laws and reforms. Gaius Marius put into affect army reforms that changed the military, political and social aspects of Roman society. These reforms brought about private professional armies, enlarged aristocratic values by increasing wealth, and eventually led to the exploitation of legal and political faults to boost personal power that all together helped to disestablish the republic.
Since the beginning of time, man has waged war on his neighbors, his friends and his enemies. In many cases these wars were caused by power-hungry nations that were in the process of expanding their empire and ended up stepping on the toes of another superpower or ally of a superpower. In the case of the first Punic War between Rome and Carthage, Carthage was extending its empire and they stepped on Rome’s toes. During the course of this war the winner was unclear but at times victory seemed eminent for both sides until Rome finally won. The Romans had control in the first part of the war but this would not last. After the Romans first win they decided that they needed a victory over the city of Carthage but this would turn the tides in favor of the Carthaginians. For some 15 years after this defeat of Rome the tides went back and forth between the two but would eventually lead to the Romans victory. After the victory, Rome made some very harsh demands and Carthage filled those demands even though some of them were very extreme.
This war was smaller than the previous Punic wars, because the Carthage Empire was declining and the war was nothing more than the Phoenician’s weak resistance. This time the Rome intended to annex the Carthage Empire, and the center point of the war was the encirclement the city of Carthage. After seven days resisting against the Romans, the Phoenicians surrendered and entire the population inside were killed or sold into slavery. As a result of the Carthage Empire’s collapse, the Roman Republic became the most powerful force in the
The Roman Republic was founded in 509 BC after the ruling Tarquins abused their extensive power as monarchs and were overthrown. The goal of the Roman Republic was to have a strong government, governed equally by the patricians and the plebians, and to avoid another Roman Monarchy. For years Rome was guided by great men, such as Cincinnatus and Scipio Africanus, who led the Republic through hard times, conquering such enemies as the Etruscans and the Carthaginians. Large-scale war united Roman society in its common goals. However, after Scipio’s victory at Zama in 202 BC, a new Roman world began to take shape. Roman soldiers returned home from their victory to find that they could not pay for their farms, becoming “squatters” on their own lands after having to sell them to richer men. The Senate became corrupted, and despite the Gracchi brothers’ best efforts, the rich patricians soon monopolized nearly all aspects of the Republic, from trading and “farming” to governing the people. After marching on Rome, Sulla became dictator in 82 BC. After Sulla, the First Triumvirate: Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar, owned virtually all power in Rome, yet each had his own desire to defeat the other two and become Emperor. When Crassus died in battle, Caesar had his chance. He defeated Pompey and marched on Rome, victorious. After declaring himself Dictator for Life, Caesar was assassinated, and another Civ...