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Summary of the roman empire
The reign of the Roman empire
The reign of the Roman empire
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The Roman Empire, was the largest known civilization. The Roman Empire began when Augustus won the second great civil war and ended, when the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was overthrown by the Germanic King Odoacer. The empire continued in the East as the Byzantine Empire (Mark). The structure of the Empire was such that one individual had complete control over all matters of the state, The Emperor, of course there were various branches of the government that still served under the emperor and functioned on their own, dealing with the integral economic and social aspects of the Roman state.
The concept of consul’s remained, yet their power was diminished and they could only serve as advisors to the Emperor and acted as a bridge between him and the Senate. The senate functioned in a similar manner as they did during the time of the public. The only difference being that it was now far more open. It expected people of all nationalities and classes. In fact by the end of the first century even the Roman Emperor, need not have been of roman blood. One aspect that greatly differed in terms of the empire and republic was the Empire’s ability to promote the class of an individual. Anyone could gain move up in the class system. This greatly aided society as it made revolts less common and all people under the empire’s rule were appeased, at least to a certain extent (“The Roman Empire”). This was perhaps their greatest improvement and one of the Empire’s strongest points.
The beginnings of the Roman Empire was known as Pax Romana, also known as the Pax Augusta, which was initiated by the first Emperor, Augustus, it was possible the largest time period during which Rome was not at war or in conflict, this could be...
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"Roman Republic." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Ed. Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. .
"The Roman Republic." The Roman Republic. Northern State University. Web. 10 Jan. 2014. .
"Senate (Roman History)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Ed. Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. .
"The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Roman Republican System." Thesis. Oxbridge. The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Roman Republican System. Amazonaws. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. .
The roman republic constitution was a set of guidelines and principles passed down through precedent, the roman republic instead of creating a democracy such as that the Athenians created, a monarchy which was previously being used by previous roman rulers and an aristocracy which Sparta used, the Constitution combined elements of all three of these governments to create a combined government known as “Senatus populusque que romanus” (S.P.Q.R) this meant “the senate and the roman people”. The Roman magistrates were elected officials during the period of the Roman kingdom, the ‘king’ (although the Romans preferred not to be called a king and instead a rex) of Rome was the principal executive magistrate, his power was absolute similar to that of a tsar
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...
In the early second century BC, the Roman Senate accrued a powerful ruling over the city’s civil government. Rome’s elite members lived at the heart of Rome and gave power to the members of the Senate. These elite citizens gained nobility through prior ancestors whom held consulships. With the prior influential heritage, they pushed the decisions of the Senate in order to gain more wealth and land. This often meant bribes, threats, and posturing to sway leaders to vote for laws that were favorable. This period did not last for long as for in the latter half of the second century growth in the cities occurred and meant change for the patrician nobility. Tribunes, such as Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus used this change to enforce social policies that were in favor of the plebeians, but also their eventual downfall.
The Roman Republic was a political system which was stamped and swayed, but it was not by parties and programmes which we are so familiar with which is a modern and parliamentary variety. And it was not swayed even by the powerful opposition between Senate and People, Optimates and Populares, nobiles and novi homines. The main locomotive force of politics was the strife for power, wealth and glory. (ref: Syme, Ronald 1960 The Roman Revolution, Oxford University Press) [1]
During the last century of the Roman republic, the system of government was drastically changed and eventually fell apart, not only because of Marius and his military reforms, but also because of the dictatorship and proscriptions of Sulla, seven consulships of Marius, political alliances of the first and second triumvirates and the growing corruption and ineptitude of the senate.
The Senate - Ancient Rome for Kids. (n.d.). The Senate - Ancient Rome for Kids. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from http://rome.mrdonn.org/senate.html
...ion this all showed that style of governing and ruling an empire started a century long pattern of events that eventually lead to the fall and destruction of the old oligarchy led by the Senate. The combination of desire for personal gain and glory of a politician or general was what weakened the Roman customs and the Senate. This was a cycle among the Senate, to find themselves stuck in a problem and to find others to fix with of course military means but in turn make everything more corrupt with their disruptive practices such as Pompey and Julius Caesar. But they were not the only ones there were others who were to blame for causing such decay and corruption such as Marius, Sulla, Gaius and Tiberius Gracchus. They were the ones who kept this corruption cycle going and it was Augustus Caesar who finally broke the cycle and brought stability and order back to Rome.
Livy’s The Rise of Rome serves as the ultimate catalogue of Roman history, elaborating on the accomplishments of each king and set of consuls through the ages of its vast empire. In the first five books, Livy lays the groundwork for the history of Rome and sets forth a model for all of Rome to follow. For him, the “special and salutary benefit of the study of history is to behold evidence of every sort of behaviour set forth as on a splendid memorial; from it you may select for yourself and for your country what to emulate, from it what to avoid, whether basely begun or basely concluded.” (Livy 4). Livy, however, denies the general populace the right to make the same sort of conclusions that he made in constructing his histories. His biased representation of Romulus and Tarquin Superbus, two icons of Roman history, give the readers a definite model of what a Roman should be, instead of allowing them to come to their own conclusion.
3)Gwynn, David M. The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.
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.
One of the greatest strengths of the Roman Empire was the strong foundation on which it was built. When the empire was founded in 27 BC, the systems which had been created by the Republic were already in place. Rome as a Republic had
Livius, Titus. The Early History of Rome. Trans. Aubrey De Sélincourt. London: Penguin Group, 2002. N. pag. Print.
The Roman Empire was a great and big empire that lasted hundreds of years. It had a great impact on a lot of civilizations. The Romans went from a small civilization to one of the greatest empire of all. But then, was ripped apart into pieces until there was nothing left.
Dio, Cassius. "Roman History - Book 50." 17 June 2011. University of Chicago. 31 October 2011 .
From the very early days of the Republic, Rome’s governing leading institutions constitute in magistracies, Senate, and the popular assembly. They had two consuls and these people were the most powerful magistrates and senior military commanders in times of war (Morey, 1901). These consuls were the leading lawmakers, policymakers, and judges and they can only serve for one year. The Senate was composed of three hundred members and members were part of the aristocracy of Rome. The third element in the government of Rome was the assembly. The assembly constitutes in free adult male Romans, which fulfilled three different functions. Their functions involved in electing the magistrates, approving laws, and deciding major legal cases.