The history of the Roman people can be documented from prehistoric times, to the death of Emperor Constantine the great in 337 A.D. It can be categorized into three major divisions, the monarchy, the Republic, and the Empire. (Starr, The Ancient Romans) Rome during the monarchic years created and developed institutions and trends of great importance for the future life of the Roman people. Trends such as the way family was treated, a concept of private property, social and political institutions, law, and finally religion. Unfortunately it is almost impossible to describe this, Because of the unsatisfactory nature of existing sources of information. (Starr, The Ancient Romans) Roman history, like Greek history can be seen as a confused mess of truth and fiction. Some of the earliest history we have, can be credited to Levi and Dionysius, who wrote in the time of Augustus, but were so far removed from the early events that their value is pretty questionable. That being said, few civilizations have had the type of impact on the world that the Romans did, though not perfect they contributed several things that helped shape the Western world. In short Roman history is, a history of the world and by studying Roman history, we can help identify problems, and come up with solutions, that will make a better future.
The exact history of the Roman transition from kinship to Republic this kind of hazy. According to ancient tradition, the Romans overthrew Tarquin the proud because of his tyrannical government and his son’s rape of a noble man's daughter. (Starr, The Emergence of Rome) Her death, is said to have set off a violent revolution which resulted in the expulsion of the Tarquins, and the abolition of the monarchy, which led to the e...
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...at point in time and Empire was needed to see through the success of the nation. Had the Roman Republic had the technology we have today, there is a great possibility that it would've remained a Republic. Nonetheless it left behind a form of government, which would be mimicked by several nations that followed. The gift of a good democracy was a priceless gift to the Western world, it allowed large populations to have a say in political issues, and have a sense of nationality.
Works Cited
Dudley, Donald R. The Romans. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1970.
Encyclopedia, Columbia Eletronic. "Julius Ceasar." (2013): 1-3. Academic search Premier.
McDonald, A.H. Republican Rome. New York: Frederick A. Praeger Publishers, 1966.
Starr, Chester G. The Ancient Romans. New York: Oxford University Press, 1971.
—. The Emergence of Rome. Ithaca NY: Cornell University Press, 1953.
The Roman Republic had an upstanding infrastructure, a stable social system, and a balanced constitution that solidified Rome’s greatness. Regardless of its achievements, however, the Roman Republic owes much of its success to classical Greek cultures. These cultures, in conjunction with the fundamental values of Roman society, certified Rome as one of the most significant powers the world has ever seen.
Was the Roman republic fair? Were all citizens treated equally in the Ancient Rome? Was the Roman republic good at all or they had problems? The answer is yes, they had problems in some aspects. Also, they were treated different because of their wealth, gender, citizenship, and job.
The roman republic came into existence at the termination of the Roman kingship in 507 B.C.E. The last king of Rome, Tarquin the Proud, was expelled by Collatinus and Brutus, as a result of his arrogance involving the matter of one of his relations raping the wholesome Roman matron Lucretia and her subsequent suicide. The rape of Lucretia was really a representation of the frustration that the roman citizens felt regarding the kingship. The later kings had little regard for roman values and the roman populus, which they used as something of a slave labor force. Brutus and Collatinus became the first Roman Consuls, elected by popular vote.
Rome was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world. The early Roman state was founded in 509 B.C. after the Romans drove out the hated Etruscan king. By this time Rome had already grown from a cluster of small villages to a small city. Little did the settlers know that this was the beginning of one of the greatest and largest empires ever known.
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
In the beginning of its existence, Rome was just a small settlement along the Tiger River. Overtime, this settlement grew and expanded their borders by claiming new territories and by also overthrowing other countries and civilizations. The Roman Kingdom grew so large that by 700 B.C., they were one of the biggest and most dominant lands ever. Prior to the creation of the republic, Rome’s government consisted of a monarchy with a king or a queen serving as leaders. All these kings or queens that ruled Rome were always cruel to their citizens. They would strip numerous moral rights from them and make them suffer the harsh laws that were cast upon them. ...
The Roman Republic is highly praised for its innovation, influence and expansion. In a period of expansion, there was a setting of constitutional precedent for the future late Republic and Roman Empire. The Roman Republic can also be viewed from the perspective of internal balances of power. That being said, although the Republic was not a full democracy, as stated by Polybius, it did provide some political power to the people. Although the Roman people played a significant role in politics and had some power, said power was limited through checks of the Senate and Consul, and most positions of power were very concentrated in the hands of Patricians and aristocrats. The powers that all citizens inherently possessed did however play a significant
Throughout its early history Rome constantly came up new innovative ideas have the upper hand over its enemies. The Romans were a determined people that believed that ruling the world was their destiny and after the defeat of its’ greatest rival Carthage, they were now masters of the Mediterranean. Rome would never again be threatened until the empire’s fall hundreds of years later. The Romans would now begin to expand their empire past Italy, and with great success, come to rule the Western world.
The development of a nation is similar to the development of a child; they both go through various stages of development before they have a firm grasp of what they are supposed to do. Much like a child, a nation goes through its infancy with a naïve point of view, usually enacting laws that suit the ruling class (wealthy) and when they eventually develop into adolescence they use their past experiences to adapt to the needs of the majority. The Roman Republic is a prime example of this analogy, throughout the 5th century towards the 1st century B.C.E; the Roman Republic was forced to change its constitution and laws in order to properly rule their newly acquired land and accommodate the Latin people who joined Rome as a result of its expansion.
The Roman republic at first tried to protect itself from foreign enemies, not by being defensive, but by going on the offensive and destroying those that had any possibility of threatening the young republic. Once this started it was hard to stop the citizen army’s consisted of hop-lite phalanxs from continuing on with what they were good at; War. With each successful campaign came the spoils of victory, conquered land, expansion, new ideas, art, technology, religion, and so forth. All of these spoils added great wealth and power to the republic, most likely encouraging it in to becoming a empire.
The Roman Republic is highly praised for the innovation, influence and expansion that it had on the rest of the world. In a period of expansion there was also a setting of constitutional precedent for the future late Republic and Roman Empire. The Roman Republic can also be viewed from the perspective of internal balances of power. That being said, although the Roman Republic as not a full democracy, as stated by Polybius, it did provide some political power to the people. Constitutionally, the Roman people played a large role in politics, but said power was limited through checks of the Senate and Consul, an most positions of power were very concentrated in the hands of Patricians and aristocrats, who can be seen as upper citizens in Rome.
The Roman Republic began approximately around 509 B.C. when the nobles drove the King and his family out of Rome. This monumental incident helped shape the start to the transformation of the monarchy into a republican governmental system. This is known to have begun by that of the Roman nobles trying to hold their power that they had gained. The Republic was “[a] city-state [which] was the foundation of Greek society in the Hellenic Age; in the Hellenistic Age, Greek cities became subordinate to kingdoms, larder political units ruled by autocratic monarchs” (Perry 105)
The Romans have had almost every type of government there is. They've had a kingdom, a republic, a dictatorship, and an empire. Their democracy would be the basis for most modern democracies. The people have always been involved with and loved their government, no matter what kind it was. They loved being involved in the government, and making decisions concerning everyone. In general, the Romans were very power-hungry. This might be explained by the myth that they are descended from Romulus, who's father was Mars, the god of war. Their government loving tendencies have caused many, many civil wars. After type of government, the change has been made with a civil war. There have also been many civil wars between rulers. But it all boils
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.
If one were to make his way through the history of the world, he or she would learn about the many forms of government, and how they came to be. In the case of Rome, many historians would note it as having a period where it was a republic, and a period where it was an empire. When examined in detail, though, the Roman Republic fails to mirror a true republic. While it had republican qualities, it was ultimately set up to give the common people a false sense of security and power in the Roman government. The ancient city of Rome was never a true republic because its traits do not emulate the definition of a republic or the republics of other ancient societies, and because of its biased political system.