1. Roman Republic Downfall

2. Setting Up For Failure Rome enlarged its territory
Government became very unstable
Major discontent amongst lower classes
Breakdown in military rule

3. Economic Turmoil As Rome grew, gap between rich and poor widen!
Aristocracy lived on huge estates
Thousands of enslaved people  forced to work on estates
100 BCE, 1/3 of pop. = enslaved people

4. Turmoil Cont.
Many of small farmers were loosing their farms because they could not pay their taxes.
Two brothers tried to help the poor
Tiberius & Gaius Gracchus

5. Tiberius was one of the 10 Tribunes in 133 BCE
Tiberius was one of the 10 Tribunes in 133 BCE. He knew some of the senators had been using their own power to confiscate farmers land for their own use.

6. So Tiberius limited the amount of land officials could use & he moved many poor farmers from the cities to public land & put them back to work farming.

7. Tiberius was eventually murdered
Tiberius was eventually murdered. Gaius became a Tribune in 123 BCE & he tried to increase the power of the Assembly of Tribes.

8. Gaius used public funds to buy grain & then sold the grain to the poor at a low cost.
Helped the poor, but drained Rome’s treasury.
Gaius was also killed.

9. Military Upheaval
As republic grew unstable, military leaders seized power for themselves
Recruited soldiers from the poor by promising land
They fought for pay & owed loyalty just to their commander
Replaced the citizen-soldier who was loyal to the republic
Now possible for military leader to take over by force

10. Rome 117 A.D.