Collapse of the Roman Republic
The fall of the Roman Republic was caused by more than just a single man or
catastrophic event. It was caused by several actions and achievements by some individuals
alongside social conditions that put pressure on Roman society. Also, rapid expansion from
Rome’s establishment as an underdeveloped city seven hundred years earlier until the middle
of the first century BC, created significant holes in the governing and political governing ability
of the senate. Around the time that Gaius Julius Caesar rose to power, the stage was set for just
one man to assume power and stabilize the Roman Republic. Gaius Julius Caesar, who was previously
a general and consul of Rome, had the biggest part in the fall of the
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Roman Republic. Gaius Julius Caesar was not the only man responsible for the fall of the Roman Republic, nor was he the only man who could stop it. However, his role in the final demise is indisputable. Gaius Julius Caesar did not start the fall and he did not finish it either. He did, however, keep a cycle of events going that made the collapse of the Roman Republic incurable. Contemporaries of Gaius Julius Caesar are also responsible for the collapse of the Roman Republic. The events that happened could have been much different without the plays for power and some humility among the Senate. Gaius Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompeius, and Marcus Crassus formed into a group called the “First Triumvirate in 6o BC. Political differences and disagreement in views between these three men lead to the fall of the Triumvirate. Marcus Crassus’ death in 53 BC after losing a battle to Parthia in the East caused the first Unsettlement in the Triumvirate. After several years of Civil War between Gaius Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompeius, it all came to an end in 48 BC after Gnaeus Pompeius’ death in Egypt. “With Pompy defeated and order restored, Caesar wanted to achieve undisputed control over the government. The powers which he gave himself were later assumed by his imperial successors.” (Abbott, 142.) His assumption of these powers decreased the authority of Rome’s other political institutions. 45 BC was the true end of the Civil war which now left Gaius Julius Caesar as the only original triumvir left of the original Triumvirate. Unfortunately, for Gaius Julius Caesar, he had lots of political enemies.
He was eventually assassinated on the Ides of March in 44 BC by two war veterans who
fought for Gnaeus Pompeius, M. Brutus, and C. Cassius.
After defeating all of his enemies and before his assassination, Gaius Julius Caesar was granted a ten year
dictatorship on the grounds of hoping he could restore the Roman Republic. Gaius Julius Caesar’s plan was to
reconstruct himself as ruler of Rome in a Roman form of Hellenistic divine. Since the year 510 BC., the Romans
were able to gain freedom by expelling their Etruscan King. The Roman citizens had the right to put an end to any
attempt at tyranny by using political assassination which could be done without consequences. The word “Rex”
was strongly disliked by the public mentality. Gaius Julius Caesar was wise enough to avoid the term as a personal
title to himself. Caesar was all about being in control and having absolute authority. All at the same time he served
as dictator, consul, and Pontifex Maximus. In 44 BC., Caesar declared himself as Dictator in Perpetuo which was
inscribed on his coins. “Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC. The assassination was led by Gaius Cassius
and Marcus Brutus. Most of the conspirators were senators, who had a variety of economic, political, or
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personal motivations for carrying out the assassination. Many were afraid that Caesar would soon resurrect the monarchy and declare himself king. Others feared loss of property or prestige as Caesar carried out his land reforms in favor of the landlessclasses.
Virtually all the conspirators fled the city after Caesar’s death in fear of retaliation. The Civil
war that followed destroyed what was left of the Republic.” (Flower 142)
The rule of one man had been established at this point in time in Rome. The only question that
loomed was who was going to take Caesar’s place. The answer was his great grandnephew Octavian.
With the elimination of the dictatorship held by Gaius Julius Caesar, mass confusion spread throughout
the Roman state as everyone was searching for some sort of a political power to reorder and organize everything.
Throughout the search for a new political leader, there were some individuals who stood out. Antonius, one of
Gaius Julius Caesar’s close friends Octavius, Caesar’s adopted son and heir, Sextus Pompeius, the son of
Caesar’s greatest enemy who was Pompey, and Aemilius Lepidus, Caesar’s master of the horse. All four of these
candidates differed on their opinion on what they wanted to become of Rome.
Despite the fact of Gaius Julius Caesar’s brief tenure and policies of reform and stability,
the toughness of his personality held the Roman Republic together for the course of his
lifetime although he was the main cause for the fall of the Roman Republic. Shortly after his
death, civil wars resulted which was required to bring necessary power to a single man in command of the Roman Empire. The consequent rise and adoption of Gaius Julius Caesar’s heir, Octavian, to the exalted post of Augustus spelled the actual end of the Roman Republic. References Abbott, Frank Frost (1901). A History and Description of Roman Political Institutions. Elibron Classics. Flower, Harriet I. (2004). The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Republic. Cambridge.
From ages past, the actions of conquerors, kings and tyrants had brought the Roman Republic to a stance that opposed any idea of a singular leader, of a single man that held total power over the entirety of the state. Their rejection of the various ruthless Etruscan rulers that had previously dictated them brought the Republic to existence in 509 BC , and as a republic their prominence throughout the provinces of the world exponentially expanded. Throughout these years, the traditions of the Romans changed to varying degrees, most noticeably as a result of the cultural influence that its subject nations had upon the republic, as well as the ever-changing nature of Roman society in relation to then-current events. However, it was not until the rise of Augustus, the first of a long line of succeeding emperors, that many core aspects of the Republic were greatly changed. These were collectively known as the “Augustan Reforms”, and consisted of largely a variety of revisions to the social, religious, political, legal and administrative aspects of the republic’s infrastructure. Through Augustus, who revelled in the old traditional ways of the past, the immoral, unrestraint society that Rome was gradually falling to being was converted to a society where infidelities and corruption was harshly looked upon and judged. The Roman historian Suetonius states, “He corrected many ill practices, which, to the detriment of the public, had either survived the licentious habits of the late civil wars, or else originated in the long peace” . Through Augustus and his reforms, the Republic was transformed into an Empire, and through this transformation, Rome experienced one of its greatest and stabl...
During the Republic, the people of Rome had a major disinclination towards any sort of Royalty, which is why when Caesar attempted to lead undemocratically indefinitely, he disrupted one of the core stances that romans shared communally. Caesar over indulged in power when he retitled himself as ‘dictator in perpetuo’. “And as Caesar was coming down from Alba into the city they ventured to hail him as king. But at this the people were confounded, and Caesar, disturbed in mind, said that his name was not King, but Caesar, and seeing that his words produced an universal silence, he passed on with no very cheerful or contented looks…..But the most open and deadly hatred towards him was produced by his passion for the royal power.” Caesars egotism and self-importance made him uncherished by members of the senate. “Everybody knew that Caesar's ego would never allow him to play second fiddle to another senator, and it was equally well-known that another famous military leader, Pompey the Great, had similar ambitions. In January 49, more or less at...
Julius Caesar elected himself as the dictator of Rome. He became a favorite of many of the people of the lower classes. Unlike many leaders, Caesar valued the poor. Most people agreed with his decision, but some of the higher classes’ did not. On March 15 44 BCE, now called the Ides of March, a few of Caesars’ closest peers decided to murder Caesar.
...would stand for a few years after Caesar’s death, praises would not stop and the Republic would soon fall seventeen years later to the man that inherited Caesar’s name and fortune.
Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) was one of the most outstanding leaders in history. He was the first ruler of the Romano-Hellenic civilization and achieved his goals with great success throughout his life of 56 years. He was assassinated by the conspirators, who accused him for practicing tyranny. This essay will discuss whether it was right for the conspirators to murder Caesar and what its consequences were.
Caesar for a some what of a good reason. Brutus killed him because he thought it would
Antony is Caesar’s right hand man and good friend. He later acquires the position that Caesar had and also seeks wealth and power. All three men are after the job, but Brutus is obviously the one who was most suited for it and also the only one who never got the chance. Julius Caesar is the leader of Rome and is seeking to become king in a matter of time. Though he is a good military strategist, he lacks knowledge in running government and is too greedy to have any concern for the peasants when he is alive.
Julius Caesar (July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general, statesman, Consul, and author of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. On March 15 44 B.C.E, the Roman dictator Julius Caesar was murdered. There are multiple accounts of this incident, while all accounts came after the death of Caesar, the writing on the incident portray Julius Caesar to have been a selfish dictator.
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
Julius Caesar was a strong leader of the Romans who changed the course of the history for the Roman world decisively and irreversibly. With his courage and strength, he created a strong empire and guided the empire for almost 20 years. His life was short, but had many adventures. I will tell of some of this man’s remarkable life. He did many things, therefore, I will only discuss a few. His name, part of his reign, one of his greatest battles, and his death will be told.
Caesar’s power in Rome was growing, and people were afraid he was going to turn Rome into a monarchy. However, Caesar did not want to be known as a king, but he was appointed dictator for life.
“He is said to have been tall of stature… except that towards the end.” What was it that really led to the fall of the Roman Republic? There are a lot of different factors to consider when trying to determine what caused the collapse. By examining The Rubicon, The Life of Julius Caesar, and some accompanying handouts from class, this paper will discuss how the Roman Republic did not collapse because of one factor. The collapse of the Roman Republic was like that of a game of Jenga. Factors were pulled out of the Republican system just like a game of Jenga until the Republic could not stand anymore.
Octavian was a tough man from the start. When he found out that Julius Caesar was murdered, he didn't hesitate to claim his position as Rome's ruler. He immediately left his place of study at Dalmatia, and hurried back to Rome. His family wasn’t too happy about him wanting to rule. They were afraid that he would meet an early demise just as his uncle had. (Sizgorich) Being 18, most would shy away from the experienced commander Mark Antony, but he met Antony head on. Octavian was fearless. The trouble began when Mark Antony was expecting to become the successor to Caesar, but instead Octavian was. This angered Mark and he didn't give up any of Caesar's inheritance, causing Caesar to have to pay for things out of pocket. (Grant) Changing his name to Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, Octavian was able to win the support of many of Julius Caesar’s veterans. (Sizgorich) Caesar also si...
Julius Caesar’s dictatorship in Rome is a key element in the gradual transition of our government from what
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...