The Gracchi Reforms: The Fall Of The Roman Empire

The end of the third and final Punic War in 146 BCE, marked Rome’s successful conquest of the Mediterranean world. Although Rome’s victory expanded the Roman Empire, the victory most certainly came at a cost. The postwar political and social landscape was filled with chaos that required government response to solve. The Gracchi Reforms resulted directly from the unrest of the common people and weakening roman military power, the rise of Julius Caesar correlated with aftermath of Gracchi reforms and distrust with government, and the second triumvirate was a temporary solution to the unrest after Caesars’ assassination. These three revisions to Roman government structure also contributed to cause the fall of the Roman Republic and rise of

It was clear to the people of Rome that the concerns of the common man were now of little importance to the aristocrats that held positions in government. Additionally, new policies paid the army with gold and land instead of it being a public service for the good of the Roman Republic leading soldiers to be more loyal to the generals than the republic itself. Julius Caesar, a successful military leader, utilized the control he had over his soldiers to rise to prominence in Roman politics in 78-60 BCE. Caesar joined the 1st triumvirate, a mutual split of power between himself, Pompey, and Crassus for control of Rome, but after the death of Crassus and the defeat of Pompey in Northern Italy was the only remaining leader. Caesar then focused on social and economic reforms that addressed the class inequality that resulted from the aftermath of the Gracchi brothers, subsequently making him very popular with the commoners. Caesar most likely saw his popularity as an advantage, knowing that having the people of Rome on his side would make it much more difficult for him to be stripped of his title. Unfortunately, popularity would prove not to be enough to keep Caesar in office. Because Caesar’s initiative was focused around the concerns of the common man, some of Caesar’s senate did not approve of the way he was utilizing his power. In 44 BCE, Julius Caesar would be stabbed to death while in a senate meeting. Upon hearing that Caesar had fallen to the aristocrats, his followers, mostly commoners, were enraged and caused the Roman Republic to go into a state of disarray once