Downfall Of Rome s Republic - 1141 Words

Downfall of Rome’s Republic For 350 years the Roman Republic had grown, retracted, and grown again, surviving and thrived. Through it all the Romans never turned away from their basic founding principle that no king shall rein in Rome. Every year men stood for election and every year free ballots were cast by free citizens. The winner won and the looser lost, and power was transferred between them. It was a remarkable run and the republic’s track record was and is the case of much justifiable envy. The Roman’s success would be the undoing of the Roman republic. Over the years the republic had survived for two major reason, the lower class had not been so impoverished that they†¦show more content†¦Tiberius proposed by putting a cap on an amount of land a man can own. The proposal was wildly popular with the people, while the senate hated the bill, but also hated the man who proposed it, so he by passed them. By gaining the popularity with the people, he brought Rome to a complete stand still. Tiberius had gotten the late Republic off the ground with a bang, his extremism re-energized the class struggle that had been dormant for centuries. The next century would unfold as little more than a political free for all, power was everyone’s ultimate objective and might. Gaius Graccus entered office focused on one single issue of Gregorian reform and met his downfall running for an illegal second term, â€Å"his most enlightened piece of legislation fell foul† (Kamm,pg. 30). In the third term, his supporters were ta an all-time low and were defeated in the polls, eventually leading himself to suicide. During 87-83 B.C. Gaius Marius and Lucius Sulla reformed the rise of private armies in favor for a more robust and more mobile legion recruiting private armies in their fight for Rome restoring the Republic. After Sulla completed his campaign he marched back to Rome and took political positions by force, he did not take positi on as an elected consul, rather as a position of a dictator. â€Å"The twenty years that followed Sulla’s death saw the rise of three men of particular ambition and power† (Kamm, pg 37), known as The First Triumvirate, 59-48 B.C,Show MoreRelatedThe Continuous Civil Unrest Of The Empire Between 509 Bce And 4761397 Words   |  6 PagesRome at the beginning was just a small city built on hills, but soon enlarged to one of the largest empires around the world. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean, it was a prime spot for trade and was influenced by surrounding areas such as Greece. In ancient Rome, the city became a Republic and prospered as an Empire expanding to 3.5 million square miles at its height. As ancient Rome continued to grow from the Republic to the Empire between 509 BCE and 476 CE, culturally the acceptance ofRead MoreThe Roman And Roman Empire1068 Words   |  5 Pagescity of Rome, was the most extensive western civilization of ancient times. With i ts major advancements and prosperity it is hard to believe that the Roman Empire suddenly collapsed and fell into a time known as the Dark Ages. After a period of struggles for the Roman Empire, the empire gradually fell. Rome was the most successful civilization of its time. Its strategic location in the center of the Italian Peninsula and the fertile plains that supported the growing empire allowed Rome to thriveRead MoreThe Rise Of The Roman Revolution1601 Words   |  7 PagesAncient Rome is filled with stories of sabotage, betrayal, and revenge. These events are the direct result of a conspiracy that sparks political debate even today. One of the more controversial events occurred a relatively short time before Caesar’s rule and when of the Roman Republic when Senators were brutal in their methods of winning elections. The Roman election of 63 B.C.E. had become the foundation for the conspiracy against a Roman senator Cicero by another Roman senator popularly known asRead MoreThe Fall Of The Roman Empire1430 Words   |  6 PagesMany historians believe that Rome s downfall was due to poor leadership, weakened economics, or perhaps a combination of the two along with other seemingly unre lated factors. However, there is a string of evidence suggesting that there were three main components that took place to bring about the fall of the Roman Empire. These determinant attributes did not happen all at once, and there was a domino effect with each one directly influencing the others. The fall of Rome occurred after a series ofRead MoreMarc Antony And The Roman Empire1430 Words   |  6 Pageshim.† These famous words were spoken by Marc Antony at Julius Caesar’s funeral as if to solidify that Caesar has passed and the Romans should look forward without nostalgia of gone-by emperors. Marc Antony was a leader in the change of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire that spanned thousands of miles in its prime. Born in January of 83 BC to the gens Antonia, which was a prominent family with both patrician and plebeian ties. His father was Marcus Antonius Creticus, and his mother was JuliaRead MoreWhen One Utters The Phrase, Beware The Ides Of March,1600 Words   |  7 Pagesreminded of William Shakespeare s play; most notably, an assassination story that occurred when Roman senators wanted to prevent Rome from falling into a tyranny under the rule of Julius Caesar. However, the narrative behind the charismatic ruler s death is far more complex and cannot be simply attributed to the desire to return to the old regime. Scholars have linked Caesar s downfall to issues such as the need for democracy in Rome, the tyranny of Caesar s empire, and the inevitability of hisRead MoreSimilarities Between Cleopatra And Cleopatra1523 Words   |  7 PagesEckhardt 6 Caesar’s guests until his murder, Cleopatra tried to get recognition for her son as rightful heir, but to no avail.†(Cinnone) â€Å"Cleopatra s family ruled Egypt for more than 100 years before she was born around 69 B.C. The stories and myths surrounding Cleopatra s tragic life inspired a number of books, movies and plays, including Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare. Cleopatra has become one of the most well-known ancient Egyptians.†(Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator.) â€Å"In 59 Caesars,Read MoreWhat were the Primary Reasons for the Fall of Rome?1024 Words   |  5 Pagesfor the â€Å"Fall† of Rome? By 200 BC, Rome was quickly becoming one of the world’s greatest empires with their excellent military conquering territory from modern day Scotland to Spain. After the Punic Wars and the defeat of Carthage, Rome had full control of the Mediterranean region, establishing colonies in North Africa, Egypt, the Middle East, and Asia Minor. Julius Caesar became Rome’s first emperor using his military influence. Under his reign, Rome shifted from a republic to an empire underRead MoreDahl, on Democracy Essay1038 Words   |  5 Pagesto consolidate the existing democracy or to deepen it. Democracy is not, however, a new concept. Although put into practice only 2 centuries ago, the idea of the rule of the people s much older than that, having been discussed and partly implemented in both ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Shrouded in mystery, the invention of the concept cannot be traced back to a certain time in the past, because, for example, current historians could not properly analyse the ‘government form ofRead MoreThe Failure of Rome’s Economy and the Fall of the Roman Empire995 Words   |  4 Pages The failure of Rome’s economy contributed majorly to the fall of Rome. The Roman Economy during the late Republic and Early Empire was based heavily on Agriculture and Commerce. Agriculture in ancient Rome was not only a necessity, but was idealized among the social elite as a way of life. Cicero had considered agriculture to be the best of all Roman Occupations (Sarudy). There had been a lot of trading between the provinces of the empire, and all regions of the empire were largely economically