The Roman Empire: Learning Goals Analyze problems facing the Republic Summarize problems leading to the creation of the Roman Empire Describe the Empire’s economy and government

The Republic Collapses Gap between rich and poor widening. Rich landowners bought slaves to work their land, and small farmers could not compete. Many had to sell homes and farms and ended up homeless. Many people were unemployed. Tiberius and Gaius Gracchis are murdered for speaking out for the poor. Rome lapses into a period of civil war – fighting between groups within the same country.

Julius Caesar Takes Control First established a triumvirate (group of three rulers) with Cassius, a wealthy Roman, and Pompey, a general. Caesar served as consul for one year, then appointed himself governor of Gaul (France). He then went on a great military conquest, expanding Rome’s boundaries and bringing more people under Rome’s control. http://questgarden.com/62/15/1/080310122438/index.htm

Julius Caesar Takes Control - Continued The fact that Caesar participated in battle and shared hardship with his men, he became wildly popular with the military. When he and his army returned to Rome in 46 B.C., the Romans made him dictator. In 44 B.C., he was made dictator for life. http://www.squidoo.com/julius-caesar

Caesar’s Reforms Caesar governed as an absolute ruler, and while some thought he was a tyrant, he did some beneficial things for Rome: Oddly enough, this did not sit well with the nobles and senators…

Beware the Ides of March… Upset and fearful about Caesar’s popularity and use of power, a group of senators and nobles plotted Caesar’s assassination. After giving a rousing speech, Caesar’s friend Marcus Brutus went to give him a hug of congratulations, but instead stabbed him, coining the phrase “backstabber” http://homepage.mac.com/silasshotwell/blog/MyBlog.html

The Aftermath In the wake of Caesar’s death, Rome again slips into civil war, and any remnants of the Republic is destroyed. Needless to say, Lepidus and Mark Antony were soon out of the picture….Octavian changed his name to Augustus (meaning exalted one) and became the first emperor of Rome. http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0087-augustus-caesar.php

The Pax Romana The beginning of Augustus’s rule ushers in the peak of Roman power. During this time, the empire encompassed over 3 million square miles, with a population of over 80 million people. http://www.roman-empire-map.askricktoday.com/

Roman Government Under Augustus Augustus turned out to be Rome’s most able emperor. He stabilized Rome’s borders, and built buildings that beautified Rome. It was this paid civil service system that kept the empire going after Augustus’s death in 14 A.D.

Life in Rome Trade was pretty big too…the Roman empire had grown to encompass a large area, and goods from one area were hot items in another part of the empire. Grains, olive oils, slaves, metals, textiles, animals, and wine were all big-ticket items. Through the establishment of roads, Romans could trade within the empire or outside to places like Persia, Russia, China and India. Many of these roads are still in use today!

Gravitas Romans valued discipline, strength, and loyalty. Strength was more important than beauty, power more than grace, and usefulness more than elegance. A person who embodied these principles was said to have the virtue of gravitas

More Roman Culture Religion – The Romans were polytheistic, and like the Greeks, had gods and goddesses for just about everything. Religion was closely linked to politics, and the gods and goddesses were seen as symbols of the state. Society – The Roman elite lived extravagantly and the poor lived miserably. The Roman elite squandered their money on homes, gardens, luxuries, and threw lavish parties with expensive and exotic foods.

Still More Roman Culture To keep the Roman poor distracted, the government would have many holidays featuring games, races, mock battles, and gladiator contests. All of these events exalted glory, honor, cruelty and violence, and were all free to the public. http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1369