In Name Only: The Roman “Republic”

Republic vs. Empire Republic: power is held by the people and their elected representatives. Empire: an extensive group of states under control by one supreme authority.

Roman history (in a nutshell) City  City-state  Kingdom  “Republic”  Empire

The Republic 509 BC – 27 BC Period of great expansion through both conquest (generals and legions) and diplomacy (alliances, treaties, agreements).

Expansion

Social Structure and Government Society broadly divided into several groups: Patricians – small group of wealthy elite families who controlled the political system and owned much of the land. Plebeians (or Plebs) – citizen-commoners, or essentially everyone else. Slaves – taken from conquered regions. Government headed by two Consuls, or leaders elected annually by the Senate, a political body made up of members of the patrician class.

A Republic in Crisis By 135 BC, the continuous expansion of Roman- controlled territory had begun to take a toll on the political stability of the Republic. Internal divisions plagued the political system. Powerful generals used their influence to build massive personal legions, trading large grants of newly conquered land in exchange for loyalty. Slave uprisings became more frequent as huge areas of territory were converted into farms run almost entirely by slaves. As a result, the Republic became a battleground for the ambitions of some of Rome’s most powerful men.

The Rise of the Empire As generals grew in political stature and military might, tensions flared. These powerful leaders sought to defeat their rivals and take control of the Republic in a series of civil wars. These men viewed themselves as above the rule of law and used their armies for personal gain. In 62 BC, the three most powerful leaders in the Republic formed the First Triumvirate and began to consolidate power amongst themselves while also scheming against each other. The most important among these figures was Julius Caesar, whose rise to power effectively spelled the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Imperial period in Roman history.

Hail Caesar! The Republic is Dead! Caesar’s rapid expansion of Roman territory through aggressive military campaigns won him fame and many die- hard followers, along with greater responsibilities to govern and rule. However, this also worried his rivals and created tension within the Republic. As Caesar gained more power, the potential for conflict rose higher and the system responded by supporting other consuls and generals in order to check Caesar’s imperial ambitions. Yet by the time Caesar famously crossed the Rubicon in 49 BC, he entered Rome not as a servant of the Republic, but as its conqueror.

Caesar is Dead! Long Live the Empire! By 44 BC, Caesar had become the most powerful figure in the Republic and transformed its laws to protect his grip on power. Many senators worried that they would lose their privileges and elite status, or that Caesar would abolish the Republic and declare himself king, or that he might even transfer power to the landless plebeians. So, led by Gaius Cassius and Marcus Brutus, a group of senators and leading patricians assassinated Caesar, throwing the Republic into another civil war, one from which it would not survive.

Octavian  Augustus  Empire In the wake of Caesar’s assassination, his adopted son Octavian, along with Mark Antony and a general named Lepidus formed the Second Triumvirate. This arrangement ensured that the powers Caesar had created for himself continued to be used by the group of three leaders. Soon, Octavian defeated both Mark Antony and Lepidus, leaving him as the last man standing. He promptly accepted the title of Augustus (“Exalted One”) and thus began the Roman Empire.

Questions for HW What is the main difference between an empire and a republic? Who controlled power in the Roman Republic? Why did this turn out to be a problem? What are three reasons why the Roman Republic collapsed? Was Rome ever really a republic? Why or why not?