Of course, aside from his contemporaries and generals who questioned his reasons for marching into Rome, there were others who also questioned why Sulla decided to go to Rome. The senate, some members of the army and even some of the citizens of Rome stated that his march was unjustified and uncalled for despite Sulla’s attempts to help the Senate. Sulla violated one of the rules of the city that no armed troops are allowed in the city unless he triumphed in a siege or war. He has also violated the city boundary, also known as the pomerium, which is an act that is graver than the acts done by both Sulpicius and Marius. Some believe that Sulla only had the support of the army because they were the first professional armies that have been created to be loyal to their general and not to the country, but considering the number of generals who left him raises some questions. Sulla’s army was that of his own work and creation, which he has tested upon the Social War. They were also picked through their loyalty and relationship. Sulla also handpicked his officers based on their loyalty to him and not to the constitution . The Senate is also angry with Sulla because of his actions but they could not complain due to the amount of power and support they are getting from him. They wanted to reprimand him because he did not respect the power of the Senate and the beliefs they have been pushing for since time in memorial. He has also turned away all the ambassadors sent by the Senate to make him stop the march. He has also murdered a tribune from the heart of the nobility or the nobilitas who ignored summons. They also believed that Sulla was a double-edged blade as he was defending the cause of the nobles and not of the people. The citizens o... ... middle of paper ... ...most graphic rule as the dictator. Sulla also managed to prevent another “him” to reappear in Rome or in any region that may cause more problems for him or for anyone who would try to take over. Should another Sulla appear after the first Sulla dies and goes down from his position, the Roman history as we know it would be changed drastically as more wars and sieges would have to take place before someone can take over the country as their Emperor. But on the other hand, I cannot disagree with the argument that Sulla’s intentions on the march has a flicker of personal intensions attached into it which would have made the march completely unacceptable as it has also killed lives upon the takeover. It also exercised the use of violence as a way to take revenge which could have been resolved through diplomatic talks should it has been pushed through by both parties.
The Failure of the Roman Republic was inevitable as it was an unjust system of government and it was left vulnerable after the attempted changes instigated by the Gracchi as the Gracchi exposed the weaknesses in the political structure allowing future politicians to manipulate the system. The changes made by the Gracchi left the Republic in a state of pandemonium as it destroyed political stability as well as creating opportunities for future individuals to rise above and challenge the system.
In final analysis, Sulla’s actions as a politician and a military leader, while occasionally bringing him prestige - dignatas, were major factors leading to the subsequent weakening of the Republic. Sulla was an odd mixture of cynicism and superstition, public sobriety and private indulgence. His reforms achieved very little besides adding to the sum of human misery. He brought an unprecedented ruthlessness to Roman life; and, though it may be conceded that his political intentions were good, his contemptible methods , notably marching his own Roman army upon the capital, contributed more than those of any other man to the debasement of the Republican constitution, he avowedly restored.
His reforms had no lasting impact on Rome, as soon as he retired and died, Rome was back into its existing state of political violence and chaos. All his work was for noting, he was unable to have a lasting impact on Rome besides a deadly precedent to follow. Therefore Sulla’s reforms aided in the downfall of the Roman Republic as he was incapable of making permanent changes in the Republic and provided an extremely deadly precedent to follow. History Professor from the University of Utah, Dr Larry Ping explains, "His reforms attempted to put Roman politics into a strait-jacket, but he could not undo the effect of his own example, a general using the army of the republic to march on Rome, and overthrow the government in the name of reform" (Ping, 2011. Sulla).
...ion this all showed that style of governing and ruling an empire started a century long pattern of events that eventually lead to the fall and destruction of the old oligarchy led by the Senate. The combination of desire for personal gain and glory of a politician or general was what weakened the Roman customs and the Senate. This was a cycle among the Senate, to find themselves stuck in a problem and to find others to fix with of course military means but in turn make everything more corrupt with their disruptive practices such as Pompey and Julius Caesar. But they were not the only ones there were others who were to blame for causing such decay and corruption such as Marius, Sulla, Gaius and Tiberius Gracchus. They were the ones who kept this corruption cycle going and it was Augustus Caesar who finally broke the cycle and brought stability and order back to Rome.
...ult of the senate's inactivity, selfishness and negligence. This resulted in the Senate's hostile reaction to the Gracchi, which therefore allowed the Gracchi to make revolutionary changes to the face of Roman politics, as a direct and indirect result of their actions, including the notion of a tribune as an instrument of initiative and reform, and more importantly, the introduction of violence in Roman politics. These changes could be felt long after the death of the Gracchi, which is evident in the powerful political armies of Marius and Sulla. In conclusion, The Gracchi were significant figures in Roman history for the short and long term consequences that resulted from their actions, acting as perceptive idealistic men who were concerned for the greater good of Rome at a time when it was atypical to do so.
After the murderous confrontation, it was not too late to prevent the anger of Caesar’s allies and the citizens or, even, to avoid future civil war. But it was here that Brutus made his second and third mistakes. Marcus Brutus rose before the Roman populace and attempted to offer a justification of Caesar’s murder. His flawed judgment came when he deemed Antony trustworthy and allowed him to speak at Caesar’s funeral. Brutus naively let Antony draw the mob in his favor. No one could dare refute Antony’s impassioned pleas in behalf of Caesar.
Sallust was an obscure historical writer from the first century BCE. In The War With Catiline, he tells of the conspiracy of Catiline and his plan to bring about civil war in Rome and over power the Senate. Sallust depicts this historical event very fairly and with a seemingly unbiased attitude, although he was not involved in any way with or against the conspirators. It was said that in this period of time things had been going very well, “…Our country had grown great through toil and the practice of justice, when great kings had been vanquished in war, savage tribes and mighty peoples subdued by force of arms, when Carthage, the rival of Rome’s sway, had perished root and branch, and all seas and lands were open…” This time of absolute supremacy gave way to a generation of Romans who were greedy and power hungry. Sallust viewed this...
...for success, he robs his audience of the right to make certain determinations about characters such as Tarquin Superbus and Romulus because of his bias toward the motivation behind their actions. Livy’s The Rise of Rome was a grand effort and an amazing undertaking. Cataloguing the years of Roman history consolidated rumor and legend into fact, creating a model for Rome to follow. Livy’s only error in this vast undertaking was in imprinting his own conception of morality and justice onto his work, an error that pulls the reader away from active thought and engaging debate. In doing so, Livy may have helped solidify a better Rome, but it would have been a Rome with less of a conception of why certain things are just, and more of a flat, basely concluded concept of justice.
New improvisations had been created during the civil war, and could not, therefore, be disregarded during the work of restoration. Such initiatives included a permanent army under the leadership of Augustus, with Augustus himself as chief commander. His position gave him power to rule over Rome. However, he faced a few setbacks since the republic was not ready for a dictatorial leader. His desire to retain authority put the Roman Empire at a risk for future civil wars amongst other generals. He aimed at reconstructing and restoring Rome, but in order to retain his power, Augustus had to make the restoration of peace and unity possible within the Roman population. Roman citizens craved for the same peace that had reigned before the civil war had begun, and were ready to support Augustus so long as he was ready and willing to preserve Rome and the privileges of the people.
...eat. Every decision that Rome made had a great affect on the city itself and the rest of the world. Many foolish emperors weakened the city and eventually cause the many aspects of life to crumble. The social issues were that no one took interest into Public affairs. The Political issues were that because no one took any public interest in government jobs, because there were not looked at as something that was good. The Economic issues were that they had poor harvest. Food was scarce people needed food so they went after it. The Germanic tribes started taking over the western half of the empire.
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...
The river tore through the earth as a hungry worm, ripping its way to the ocean. Along the shore of the river stood an army’s camp, the war tents and gathering tents stood well-kept, but empty. Not a soul could be found on the camp, even the lowly camp followers had left. The men who inhabited the camp stood on a small hill nearby, they encircled the base of the hill as a man on top read a letter. “The Senate and People of Rome address you, Gaius Julius, and the men under your service. The Senate places your service as governor of Gaul at an end and requests you to return to Rome, immediately. We do not think it necessary to remind you of Roman law. If a general returns to the Roman Republic accompanied by a standing army he, and his men, are traitors, and will dealt with as such. Senātus Populusque Rōmānus. The man looked up from the letter and stared into the eyes of every soldier, peasant, and roman there. Then he strode to the edge of the Rubicon, mounted his horse; which stood there, and looked back at the army. The historian Suetonius wrote: "Overtaking his cohorts at the river Rubicon, which was the boundary of his province, he paused for a while, and realizing what a step he was taking, he turned to those about him and said: 'Even yet we may draw back; but once cross yon little bridge, and the whole issue is with the sword.' As he stood in doubt, this sign was given him. On a sudden there appeared hard by a being of wondrous stature and beauty, who sat and played upon a reed; and when not only the shepherds flocked to hear him, but many of the soldiers left their posts, and among them some of the trumpeters, the apparition snatched a trumpet from one of them, rushed to the river, and sounding the war-note with mighty blas...
The Legate said, “You understand the position? The Province of Valentia, whatever it once was, whatever it may be again, is not worth an outworn sandal-strap today. You will be going out alone into enemy territory, and if you want to run into trouble, there will be nothing that Rome can or will do to help you” (Sutcliff,
They had barely any soldiers left in the Italian area, and no commanders to lead them. Hannibal had a clear shot at the city of Rome itself. Retired veterans and young men alike were volunteering to defend the city. But Hannibal did not attack Rome. He lacked the siege equipment and elephants to take the city, and had not enough men and supplies for a prolonged siege. The only way he could take a fortified settlement was if they joined him or surrendered. So instead he marched around Italy for 15 years, trying to win over cities to his cause. However, when the cities saw that Hannibal could not in his current state take Rome, the flow of defections trickled to a halt. Meanwhile, Carthage’s war on the homefront was going badly, as the Roman commander Scipio Africanus had conquered their spanish territories and was ready to march into Africa and besiege Carthage itself. The Carthaginian senate pulled Hannibal and his best men back to Carthage by sea to defend the
although he was still an equestrian or low in power. Sulla was not necessarily happy about