Pros And Cons Of Julius Caesar

Imagine it is the year 59 B.C.E., the greatest republic to date is collapsing and it seems it is doomed with a senate which does not care about its people. There seems to be no hope. But then comes a young man who has ideas of equality that could save the republic. That man is Julius Caesar. Conqueror of Gaul, Crosser of the Rubicon, member of the First Tiumbarant, Caesar was a brilliant politician and general. At the time, Rome was governed by Pompey and the senate. Both were in favor bettering themselves and not the poor people. Caesar was in favour of improving life for the lower class. This was not accepted by the senate or Pomey, making them question his ethics. As Caesar became more powerful, as when he conquered Gaul, Pompey and the senate began to plot. They could not have someone as dangerous as Caesar in Rome. Because of this, the senate planned and carried out an assassination attempt, and succeeded. This was only for the senate to maintain power and complete control over Rome. Along with caesar, a little bit of

Rome and freedom died too.
Julius Caesar was a leader who cared about the residents of Rome. He passed a law to have land in Italy distributed to veterans such as Pompey's army. This would allow those who lost in war to start a farm and make a profit. Caesar also erased all the interest that was already paid and cancelled the tax interest due since the beginning of the civil war. This eliminated debt for the lower class but also enraged creditors as they lost a lot of money. “This last measure alone, Suentious reckones, erased one-fourth of all outstanding debt.” (Parenti 151) With 25% of all debt gone, the population of Rome could buy more which boosted the economy. Caesar also drained marshes to create more land. Based on this, Caesar clearly cared for his citizens and would help them. In addition, Caesar made reforms helping the poor, such as distributing money evenly from victories of the army. He enacted some reforms for personal gain in popularity, however when he was at the top, he did not misuse his power. Instead he would use his popularity to make more reforms to help Rome flourish (as shown when he was elected dictator).
As a result of his policies, Caesar made many enemies in the senate and upper classes.

When he repeatedly made reforms that aided the poor or veterans, the senate became worried. The senate was mostly concerned with personal gain so when Caesar stepped in and changed the tide, the senate became worried. They saw him as a tyrant with too much power who needed to be stopped. The senate did not like a democratic person taking full control over Rome as they would have no power. The only solution to this was to assassinate Caesar. The opinion of the sentence was, “Achievement was worthy of praise and honor, but excessive achievement was pernicious and a threat to the state.” (Holland). As Caesar grew, he made more laws which aided more growth. This cycle of growth seemed more and more dangerous to the senate, as they feared someone with this level of power. With all of the influence of Rome in one man, many felt Caesar took on a dictatorial

manner.
With those who opposed him feeling like he was a dictator, Caesar was in between two extremes. On one side he had his supporters who agreed with what he said and felt he was making a better Rome. On the other, there were the Opulates who believed Caesar was a dictator and was forcing his beliefs upon them. From the start of his political career, Caesar adopted a democratic stand. It became more defined as it continued. To most of the republicans, this was alarming, as they were radical. They did not want to live by his standards; they went to whatever lengths to de-throne him. People put a bad reputation on his name, claiming he was bad for Rome and that he was doing it all for himself. The senate was very nervous since Caesar had surpassed Crassus, a member in the triumvirate. They branded him as a dictator because they believed the people would see the need to de-throne him. Many thought he was using the masses, the poor, for his gain. All he had to do was make reforms that helped them and he would most likely gain their vote. This was not the case, however, because Caesar never made any reforms that would benefit him or mistreated anyone unjustly. For that, Caesar was not a dictator, and was in fact the opposite mentality.
As history has shown us, The senate succeeded in assassinating Caesar. Rome was devastated by this as Caesar had potential to further change Rome. The lower classes became enraged at this which divided the nation between rich and poor. Caesar's death precipitated the end of the Roman Republic. Octavian, a member of the second triumvirate, took control after Caesar's passing, which began a new era. Antony, another member, was dealing with all the civil wars which broke out. The period that followed was a republican one, where the poor people grew restless and the rich became lazy. The Roman Republic soon collapsed. The chaos started with the assassination of a powerful general, a man who could have changed Rome.