“While stands the Coliseum, Rome shall stand; When falls the Coliseum, Rome shall fall; And when Rome falls - the World.” Lord Byron. This essay will discuss the similarities of military, economics and systems of government between the Roman Empire of the 6th century BCE and the United States of America of the 20th century. History has revealed that all superpowers fall eventually, although much time has passed since the glory days of Rome we see in 2015 the largest superpower in charge, the United States. There are many similarities that can be drawn between the American superpower and the Roman Empire such as the same founding of government and both dominated in military, as well as economic similarities. This leads to the conclusion that because the rise to power between the two powers was so similar, the downfall will be equally parallel.
Rome's Republican era began after the overthrow of the last Roman King Tarquin Superbus by Lucius Brutus in 509 BC(1), the Senate was ruled the by the people of Rome. The Roman Republic was governed by a largely complex constitution, which established many checks and balances, so no man could have complete control. The evolution of the constitution was heavily influenced by the struggle between the patricians and the other prominent Romans who were not from the nobility. Early in Rome’s history, the patricians controlled the republic, over time, the laws that allowed these individuals to dominate the government were repealed, and the result was the emergence of a the republic which depended on the structure of society, rather than the law, to maintain its dominance. This is similar to the creation of the American system of government. Starting with the over throw of t...
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... the fall of Rome should be a warning to the United States. In addition, because the domination of the USA happened much faster than Rome, arguably the fall may be much more swift as well.
Works Cited
1. Tim Cornell, John Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World, Facts On File Inc, 1982. (pg.216)
2.Guglielmo Ferrero, Ancient Rome and Modern America: A Comparative Study of Morals and Manners, G. P. Putnam's Sons Publishing, New York, 1914. (pg. 130-143)
3. Tom Holland, Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, Abacus Publishing, 2004. (Pg. 50)
4. Suetonius, Robert Graves (translator), The Twelve Caesars, Penguin Classics, 2007. (pg. 27)
5. Lesley Adkins, Roy A Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, Oxford University Press, 1998. (pg. 304)
6. Lewis M. Simons, Panama’s Rite of Passage and American Trade, National Geographic, November 1999.
Did you know, the Roman Republic had a tremendous influence on the United States government? By studying how the past connects to the present, one learns how many things have changed and stayed the same. Without the Roman Republic, the United State’s government, might not have the structure and organization it has today!
Over the span of five-hundred years, the Roman Republic grew to be the most dominant force in the early Western world. As the Republic continued to grow around the year 47 B.C it began to go through some changes with the rise of Julius Caesar and the degeneration of the first triumvirate. Caesar sought to bring Rome to an even greater glory but many in the Senate believed that he had abused his power, viewing his rule more as a dictatorship. The Senate desired that Rome continued to run as a republic. Though Rome continued to be glorified, the rule of Caesar Octavian Augustus finally converted Rome to an Empire after many years of civil war. Examining a few selections from a few ancient authors, insight is provided as to how the republic fell and what the result was because of this.
When one thinks of great powerful empires and nations of any time, they would think of Ancient Rome. So how would future nations take what the almighty Roman empire had to build their own successful country? After all, the Romans did eventually fall. This means that nations would have to mimic but not copy their exact steps and acts. It is an ultimate mystery of picking and choosing. However, many of the things Rome did were very important. In the United States of America, we see some direct connections from Ancient Rome. These connections have to do with anything from politics, social living, geography, government, sport, and many more. All in all, America would not be the same if it were not for Roman connections.
Platner, Samuel Ball, and Thomas Ashby. A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. London: Oxford University Press, 1929
Dio, Cassius. "Roman History - Book 50." 17 June 2011. University of Chicago. 31 October 2011 .
Marcel Le Glay, Jean-Louis Voisin, Yann Le Bohec. A History of Rome. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
The Roman Republic (Res Pvblica Romana) was a form of republican government that was established in 509 BCE to replace the monarchy government that had reigned over Rome since the founding in 753BCE (Steele, 2012). 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 sources used throughout the essay, which include Plutarch, Appian, Florus and Velleius, will need to be examined closely as each source will demonstrate different views on the Gracchi, as the authors purpose of writing will differ. The Gracchi had set out to change Rome for the better, however in the process; they exposed the internal flaws of the government which resulted in the beginning of the decline of the Roman Republic.
Look at a picture of the White House. What do you notice? The beautiful structure and the way it stands out? What about the columns? They look awfully familiar. Now look at a picture of the Pantheon. See the similarities? Because the Modern U.S. and Ancient Rome have many similarities and differences, the lessons from Ancient Rome could help the U.S. to avoid the fall and collapse that Rome experienced.
When you think of Ancient Rome you would normally not compare that to the Modern U.S.A. but there are also similarities between the two if you look hard enough to figure them out. In fact there are actually lessons that can be learned from the Ancient cities of Rome and how we can possibly help to avoid disaster ourselves. Three main reasons can show you how different, similar, and how we can learn from Ancient Rome. Because the Modern U.S. and Ancient Rome have many similarities and differences, the lessons from Ancient Rome could help the U.S. to avoid the fall and collapse that Rome experience.
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)
4)Rosenstein, Nathan Stewart., and Robert Morstein-Marx. A Companion to the Roman Republic. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2006. Print.
Throughout history, there have been a variety of great and powerful empires. However, regardless of how powerful they were able to become, each empire had it's unfortunate downfall and ultimate ending. Perhaps two of the most powerful empires ever to exist and crumble were the Roman and Egyptian empires, both of which enjoyed long periods of wealth and success in their pasts. While the two empires operated on extremely different terms and conditions, there is undoubtedly good reason for comparison of their downfalls considering that the causes generally surrounded the fact that the empire suffered invasions. Of course, this was not the only reason in either case, but in both circumstances invasion played a significant role in the fall.
Buren, Albert W. Van. "The Ara Pacis Augustae." Journal of Roman Studies 3 (1913): 134-141.
Recently, 7th graders have been learning about Ancient Rome. You may not know, but Modern U.S and Ancient Rome have several similarities and differences. From history, Modern U.S has learned the mistakes made and has avoided them for no fall. Because Modern U.S and Ancient Rome have many similarities and differences, the lessons from Ancient Rome could help the U.S to avoid the fall and collapse that rome experienced.
R. Bruce Hitcher. (2008). Globalization Avant La Lettre: Globalization and the History of the Roman Empire. New Global Studies: Vol. 2: Iss. 2, Article 2.