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Julius caesars leadership
Julius Caesar and the fall of the republic
Julius Caesar and the downfall of the Roman Republic
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It is easy to know who has power, and who doesn’t. Throughout history, those people with the most power have rewritten the rules and changed how the world works. In both the past and the present, politicians have used specific tactics or strategies to increase their power, or to get ahead in the world of government. A politician crosses the line and becomes a dictator when these tactics are used to gain absolute control over an entire country. Over the course of history, dictators forcefully gained power in similar ways, such as capitalizing on hatred or the people’s displeasure with the government, and rising through the ranks of a government slowly before taking over. The political tools used by dictators in the past warn of possible threats …show more content…
to democracy in the present and the future.
One of the first and most notable dictators was Julius Caesar. He joined the military and was successful in many conquests and battles across the world. He got into politics when the senate and the consul, the basis of the Roman government, were struggling with each other. The government of Rome was unstable, and Caesar became an outspoken leader (Lively). He rose through the different roles in the government slowly, starting small and then increasing his power. In 60 BCE, the first triumvirate was formed. This 3-person governing body consisted of Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey, and they became the head of the Roman empire (Lively). After the deaths of the other two members, and because he had such a large following, Caesar was elected dictator for life (Toynbee). This was a turning point in Roman history. Rome would have only one ruler, and some members of the senate feared that with too much power, Caesar’s rule would would be similar to that of the Tarquins, who ruled before the Roman Empire (Lively). The senate members …show more content…
believed that with only one ruler and no one else to balance or check his power, Caesar would become corrupt. He was murdered by members of the senate because they feared he would become a tyrant (Toynbee). However, Caesar’s rule was different from other dictators after him. He used some of the same strategies of other dictators to gain power, but the outcome was different. He became popular through many military victories, and also by working for the people during a rough patch in Roman history. In the end, his election did bring about the end of democracy but it wasn’t in a violent way. Caesar also didn’t have any malicious intents, he was dedicated to the success of Rome and the happiness of the Roman people. That is one of the main differences between ‘the first dictator’ and later ones. Most people think of Adolf Hitler when they hear the word ‘dictator’.
Originally, he wanted to become an artist. When he couldn’t get in to art school, he joined the German army and fought during World War I. He was even awarded several medals for bravery. After the war, he was given a job in the German army investigating different small political parties (Noakes). Once Hitler knew that he wanted to pursue a career in politics, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to take over with sheer force; instead he needed work his way up in the government. He became the leader of the German workers party and renamed it the National Socialist Party (Pappas). He started becoming popular among the working class, and people who were angry after Germany’s defeat in World War I. The economy was experiencing extreme inflation and the general public felt that the government wasn’t doing enough. Hitler capitalized on this anger and economic suffering, and promised he would be the one to fix it. He was able to gain a lot of followers by saying he would fix the
economy. At this time, Hitler also started incorporating anti-semitic ideas in his speeches and writings. As he got more and more popular, he started using the Jewish people as a scapegoat for the failing state of the country (“The Fragility of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power.”). This created an ‘us vs. them’ situation that made it easier for Germans to blame the Jewish people rather than criticize their own government. By using the Jewish people as a scapegoat, he was able to rally his supporters and unify them against one group. As the Nazi regime grew, Hitler gained even more support. In 1932, he ran for president and lost, but because he had such a large following, the president named him chancellor instead (“The Nazi Rise to Power.”). When the parliament building caught fire in 1933, he used it as an opportunity to seize emergency power (Pappas). He passed an act that allowed him to pass legislation without the need for parliament, and took over as fuhrer. At the same time that Hitler was spreading the ideas of the Nazi Party, Stalin was starting his ascent. Stalin also started with a minor role in politics, and slowly got more involved with higher positions (J. Llewellyn et al). He took over as the leader of the Bolshevik party after Lenin died, and assumed control from there. Hitler and Stalin shared some of the same political strategies, these strategies made it easier for each of them to gain control. For example, they both started small and worked their way up the political ladder, instead of trying to take over all at once. Stalin only had a small role in the Bolshevik party until the 1920s, when he started working for Lenin (J. Llewellyn et al). Both Hitler and Stalin also spread racist ideas about Jewish people and other groups. By spreading these racist ideas, both were able to unify their bases against an “other”. Having people look to other groups with different beliefs from themselves allows them to avoid any self examination. In this case, blaming everything on the Jewish population took attention away from the current situation of the government. Many of the political strategies that have been previously mentioned are still used by power hungry politicians today. There are modern day examples of politicians who employ techniques similar to those used by Hitler and Stalin. They both were racist, they both spread fear, and they both rose from the lower positions in government before taking over. Other tactics that have been utilized by other leaders include controlling the spread of information, having an outside enemy or a scapegoat to blame all the problems on, and capitalizing on people’s displeasure with the economy or the state of the country (Powell). There is still a chance that even in a modern democracy, one person could utilize a combination of these to try and take over. Dictators used similar political strategies to take control, and the tactics that they use are warning signs of a threat to democracy. Whether it is racism, using a group of people as a scapegoat, or discrediting or manipulating the media (Noriega). Hitler, Stalin, and others have used these techniques successfully to destroy democracy and to murder millions of people. These actions should be taken as warning signs that lead to the rise of a dictator and the fall of democracy.
The triumvirate gained power that was intended to be in the hands of the Senate and Roman Assembly. This paved way to a situation in which a single man could sweep up the political power that previously belonged to the entire Senate. Julius Caesar would use this tactic, following his campaigns of Gaul and Britton, to take sole dictatorship over Rome. While there were previous cases in which individuals had been appointed as dictators, usually by the Senate, to serve for six months in a time of war, Caesar was appointed dictator three separate times.. After declining his first dictatorship, Caesar was awarded two more reigns as dictator for one and ten years, respectively.
His first contribution to Rome’s downfall came in the form of the formation of the First Triumvirate, which enabled him to illegally take Gaul, and further undermine the senate. Caesar made his way to power by gaining important alliances. Unlike Marius, he was born into a fairly important high class family in Rome. The First Triumvirate, formed in 60BC was composed of himself, Crassus and Pompey. Crassus was the wealthiest man in Rome at the time, and Pompey had just been awarded his third Triumph. The mere existence of such a group undermined the ideals of the senate, as it worked on the basis that no one man could have enough power to do anything without the support of the senators. The Triumvirs worked to achieve their own individual goals, whilst simultaneously supporting one another. Caesar was consul in 59BC, with Marcus Bibulus, and made the sheer influence of the three men public with the introduction of his land redistribution law. Crassus and Pompey supported this proposal, and Pompey filled Rome with his soldiers. Bibulus tried to void the law but Caesar’s armed supporters drove him out of the senate and forced him into house arrest. This meant that Caesar essentially had a sole consulship and gained enough power and support to overturn his proposed governorship and allowed himself
Hitler did not do particularly well in school, leaving formal education in 1905. Unable to settle into a regular job, he drifted. He wished to become an artist but was rejected from the Academy in Vienna. (http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/adolf-hitler)
Julius Caesar was Rome’s first dictator, although he did not ever officially become Emperor. Caesar was appointed a counsol, and went...
The play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare showcases many characters and events that go through many significant changes. One particular character that went through unique changes was Julius Caesar. The 16th century work is a lengthy tragedy about the antagonists Brutus and Cassius fighting with the protagonists Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus over the murder of Julius Caesar. Although the play’s main pushing conflict was the murder of Julius Caesar, he is considered a secondary character, but a protagonist. Throughout the theatrical work Julius Caesar’s actions, alliances, character developments, and internal and external conflicts display his diverse changes. William Shakespeare retold a very unique event
Adolf Hitler had a very difficult childhood and did not have a good relationship with his dad. He had many losses in his life. For the years that he was homeless in Vienna it was at this time where he developed his hatred for Jews and started going to meetings about that and started to believe that Jews were the cause of everything that has happened around the Germany. During the World War I time he wanted to sign up and be in the army. But instead he was just a messenger for the World.
Over the course of Julius Caesars life, he gained both political and social popularity due in fact to the multiple positions he had in Rome. In 69 BC Caesar was elected military tribune, after showing bravery when he was kidnapped by pirates while crossing the Aegean Sea. Being military tribune was the first step in having a political career at the time. Julius entered the course of advancement in the Roman political system as quaestor in 69 B.C. In the Roman Republic, a quaestor was a public official who supervised the financial affairs of the state and conducted audits. In 65 B.C., Julius Caesar was appointed to the position of Pontifex Maximus, this was much to people's disbelief because Caesar was so young. Pontifex Maximus gave Caesar the position of high priest in the College of Pontiffs, which was the most important position in the ancient Roman church. Caesar won against two powerful senators that had greater experience and power. Despite much uproar, Caesar was chosen to be...
Julius Caesar was a general and a politician of the late Roman Republic. He greatly influenced the size of the Roman Empire before seizing power and making himself dictator of Rome, which paved the way for the Imperial system. (Julius Caesar 100BC-44BC, April 29th, 2014)
Julius Caesar was born on the 13th day of the month Quintilis (now July) in the year of 100 B.C. His full name was Gaius Julius Caesar, the same as his father's name. Gaius was his given name and Julius was his surname. Caesar was the name of one branch of the Julian family. Its original meaning was "hairy.” Caesar's family was not prominent, but they claimed to be descended from Venus as well as the kings of Alba Langa. In spite of that fiction, Caesar was well connected through his relatives and received some important government assignments during his youth. Julius Caesar was the dictator of Rome from 61-44 BC. At the time of his birth, Rome was still a republic and the empire was only beginning. Caesar made his way to be considered a head of Rome by 62 BC, but many of the senate felt him a dangerous, ambitious man. The senate did their best to keep him out of consulship. He finally became consul in 59 BC. In Caesar, they saw only the threat of a king, a word that was linked with the word “tyrant” that is cruel or unjust rule.
Hitler began to work his way up the ranks of the German government, riding on the wave of his fame. Eventually he rose to the position of Chelcellor, secound in command. Biding his time, the current President pasted away (Some say of natural causes some say not) and then got rid of the position of President. This made him the leader of Germany and eventually bacame a dictator.
After being rejected by the art school Hitler turned to politics. He entered politics as a spy (Doc News). In 1932 Hitler was appointed Chancellor and used the position to form the “de facto legal dictatorship” (Biography.com editors), In 1934 Hitler made himself dictator and started the Nazi party. He was leader from 1934 1945 (biography.com editors). On July 14, 1933 the Nazi party became the only legal political party in Germany (biography.com editors). That is what sparked the Nazi empire.
Adolf Hitler was a tyrant leader in Germany. He was the head of the Nazi party and his aggressive foreign policy is considered to be a large factor attributing to World War II. The great depression in Germany created opportunity for Hitler. Germany was suffering and the people were willing to entertain any different options to make life better (Wikipedia ). Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany, giving him power over the legislative and executive branches of the government. This power was the beginning of his empire. The other existing parties at the time were intimidated and disbanded giving Hitler the power he was craving (Wikipedia ).
Relevance of Julius Caesar to Contemporary Society. & nbsp; & nbsp ; Symbolism is a major aspect of writing. Whether obvious or subtle, authors use it as a way to extend their work beyond just the time period they're writing their piece in. Also, it allows the reader the opportunity to substitute his own ideas into the story, which makes the story more personal.
After marching to 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 to Rome, victorious. After declaring himself Dictator for Life, Caesar was assassinated, and another Civil War ensued.... ...
Adolf Hitler joined a small political party in 1919 and rose to leadership through his emotional and captivating speeches. He encouraged national pride, militarism, and a commitment to the Volk and a racially "pure" Germany. Hitler condemned the Jews, exploiting anti-Semitic feelings that had prevailed in Europe for centuries. He changed the name of the party to the National Socialist German Workers' Party, called for short, the Nazi Party. By the end of 1920, the Nazi Party had about 3,000 members. A year later Hitler became its official leader Führer. From this, we can see his potential of being a leader and his development in his propaganda.