1. Roman Republic and Roman Empire
Piedmont Middle School
6th Grade Social Studies

2. Warm-Up How did the geography of Rome impact its development? Rivers
Bodies of Water
Mountains

3. Warm-up: How did the geography of Rome impact its development?
City was located at the top of 7 hills
This made it easier to defend
The city was built 15 miles inland along the Tiber River
This made it hard to attack from the sea but still allowed for trade and was a fresh water source
On the Italian Peninsula (surrounded by water)
Good for trade and navy
Islands that surrounded the peninsula were also important for trade and defense
Protected by Mountains
The Alps and Apennines
Good climate and farmland
Able to grow beans, veggies, fruits, olives, and grapes

4. Roman Republic Lasted from 509 BCE – 49 BCE Almost 500 years
Brainpop- The Roman Republic
Lasted from 509 BCE – 49 BCE
Almost 500 years

5. Roman Republic
Brainpop- The Roman Republic
The Republic had 3 branches of governments, very similar to what we have today:
Senate: Noble and wealthy people
Consul: Judges and military commanders
Assembly: Common people (elected)

6. Roman Republic
Brainpop- The Roman Republic
The United States uses a system called “checks and balances” so that no one branch of government becomes too powerful
Legislative: Make laws
Executive: Enforce laws
Judicial: Decided if laws are fair, if someone broke a law

8. Civil War A civil war is a war between groups of the same country
The United States Civil War lasted from
The Union (North) defeated the Confederacy (South)
In Rome, a civil war broke out between the people in 49 BCE
The working class felt that they did not have as many rights as the wealthy

9. Civil War
During this time, Julius Caesar became the most powerful figure in the Roman Republic
The Republic began to expand, conquering areas around the Mediterranean
Julius Caesar and his armies were capturing more land for Rome

10. Roman Republic
Many generals and other nobles from Rome didn’t approve of Julius Caesar
They ordered Julius Caesar to come back to Rome without his army
Caesar came back to Rome with his army and fought the generals and nobles in a civil war

11. Roman Republic shifts to the Roman Empire Brainpop- Rise of the Roman Empire
Caesar won the civil war and declared himself dictator (Rome was no longer a republic)
He was allied with Cleopatra from Egypt
She provided him with money and supplies

12. Caesar did some good things for the people while in control
Roman Republic shifts to the Roman Empire Brainpop- Rise of the Roman Empire
Although Caesar was now a dictator, he was still well-liked by the people
Caesar did some good things for the people while in control
Gave land to soldiers
Gave food to the poor
Granted citizenship to those who were not citizens

13. End of the Roman Republic
Even though most people in Rome liked Caesar, the nobles and senators did not because they lost all of their power
In 44 BCE, Julius Caesar was stabbed to death on the senate floor

14. Roman Empire
After Caesar’s death, there was a lot of fighting for control of Rome
Octavian was crowned emperor after all of the fighting
Octavian was also known as Augustus
Julius Caesar was his great-uncle

15. Roman Empire
Augustus changed the government so that the wealthy citizens and normal citizens were equally represented
However, Augustus still maintained the power of an emperor