Fall of the Roman Republic

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Fall of the Roman Republic
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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 1. Agricultural Crisis

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• Agricultural Crisis
• Small landowners were
• Major producers of food and
• Majority of the soldiers in the legions

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• Agricultural Crisis
• War brought problems they could not deal with
• Destruction of farms by Hannibal
• Neglect
• New provinces (Sicily and Spain) flooded food
  markets with inexpensive products
• Slave labor
• Patricians investing in land caused the price of
  land to skyrocket

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• Agricultural Crisis
• Formation of latifundia
• Small farmers who sold moved to cities
• Looking for jobs
• Unemployed
• Resentful, class warfare
• Larger gap between rich and poor

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 2. Land reform failed

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 2. Land reform failed
• Increased geographic size of Republic strained
  government
• Roman Society SPQR
• Roman Senate Roman People
• patricians vs. plebeians

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 2. Land reform failed
• Increased geographic size of Republic strained
  government
• Roman Senate
• Original patrician families
• Responsible for government stress/strain
• Conflict with plebeians and other patricians
• Increased size of Republic Rome
• plus provinces

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 2. Land reform failed
• Increased geographic size of Republic strained
  government
• Roman Senate
• Unwilling to admit new men to the inner circle
  of power
• Dominated the political process
• Adopted a narrow us vs. them approach to
  government and the Republic

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 2. Land reform failed
• Increased geographic size of Republic strained
  government
• Roman People
• Manpower for citizen militia army
• Land owning farmers
• Decreasing supply of soldiers when needed most
• Assemblies less representative, participation

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 2. Land reform failed
• Owning land and farming were basics of Roman
  society, culture and economy
• Individuals used booty to buy out smaller farmers
  (straight or default loan/tax sales)
• Ex-farmers moved to big cities or the provinces
• Reduced
• social status
• participation in decision making

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 2. Land reform failed
• Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus tried
• remove a portion of public land from patricians
• distribute land to landless plebeians
• eligible for military service

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 2. Land reform failed
• Conflict between Senate and Gracchi brothers
• All agreed reform was necessary, but
• Uncertainty and doubt about proposal
• Methods to be used to enact proposal were new,
  untried and often bordered on being illegal

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 2. Land reform failed
• Conflict between Senate and Gracchus brothers
• Real intentions of the Gracchi
• Created divisions in Senate which worked for
  their own gain
• Create winners and losers- involved land, but
  really about power/clients
• Threatened nobles control of government

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 2. Land reform failed
• Conflict between Senate and Gracchus brothers
• Results
• Reforms failed
• Political violence by all sides
• Brothers murdered by patricians
• Open divisions in Republic Senate vs. people,
  landed vs. non-landed, patrician vs. patrician,
  etc

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 2. Land reform failed
• Conflict between Senate and Gracchus brothers
• Results
• Benefits from success of Republic
• Support of people reforms
• Source of power and wealth to exploit for
  personal gain

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 3. Politics became corrupt and violent

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 3. Politics became corrupt and violent
• Threat of foreign warfare removed
• Patrician vs. Plebeian warfare
• Unemployed plebeians rioted
• Patricians assassinate Gracchi brothers

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 3. Politics became corrupt and violent
• Patricians sought wealth and power rather than
  protecting Rome
• Plebeians followed leaders who promised free food
  and entertainment

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 4. Slave Revolts

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 4. Slave Revolts
• 135 B.C. first slave revolt in Sicily
• Spartacus led slave revolt of 90,000
• 1 out of every 4 people in Rome was a slave

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 5. War plunder decreased

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 5. War plunder decreased
• Territory added before 100 B.C.
• Central Italy, Northern Italy, Southern Italy,
  Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Spain, Portugal,
  Northern Africa, Greece, Turkey, Syria
• Territory added 100 B.C. 0
• Gaul

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 5. War plunder decreased
• Refocus
• Away from foreign threat to threats at home
• Centered on power/clients and wealth
• Patrician vs. patrician
• Optimates vs Populares

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Period of
• political confusion
• social unrest
• political violence
• mass assassination

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Gaius Marius
• Plebeian novos homo
• Common soldier to military tribune
• Uneducated, rough, vulgar, but skilled commander
• Hero of the lower classes
• Elected consul 7 times

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Lucius Cornelius Sulla
• Old patrician family- but no wealth- removed from
  Senate
• Fanatical supporter of the anti-Gracchi group
• Legate for Marius
• Elected consul 2 times
• Dictator in 81 BC

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Fall of the Roman Republic

Conflict Jurgurtha/German Wars Optimates vs.
Populares Command of the East/ Civil Wars
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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Jurgurtha/German Wars
• Africa (Numidia) against Jurgurtha
• Southern France against migrating German Cimbri
  and Teutones
• Threat allowed Marius to be elected consul 5
  consecutive years

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Gaius Marius
• Sulla was legate under Marius
• Negotiated betrayal of Jurgurtha, capturing him
  personally
• Triumph given to Marius
• Destroyed statue honoring Sulla- commemorated
  Jurgurthas capture by Sulla

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Gaius Marius
• Created professional army of volunteers from
  landless, unemployed plebeians
• To be given land or bonus after 16 year term was
  completed
• Became loyal to leader rather than to republic-
  commander recruited and paid soldiers personally-
  paid in loot (Marius Mules)

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Optimates vs. Populares
• Groups of patrician/senatorial politicians
  organized for personal gain (nobility vs.
  nobility)

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power

Optimates
Ruthless conservatives willing to
defend Property Privilege At all costs

• Defenders of
• Constitution
• Law and order
• Roman tradition

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power

Populares

• Selfless reformers
• Supported Republic and People
• What was best for Republic

• Ambitious politicians
• Establish personal
• power
• tyranny

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Optimates vs. Populares

Marius Identified with
Populares
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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Optimates vs. Populares

Sulla identified with
Optimates
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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Command of the East/Civil Wars
• 88 BC, Sulla elected consul, given command of the
  East
• War against Mithridates
• Marius, with support of the tribune of the plebs,
  took command away and had it given to himself

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Command of the East/Civil Wars
• Sullas reaction
• Gathered army, marched on City of Rome
• Had tribune of plebs, Marius and their supporters
  outlawed
• Marius fled, tribune and many supporters killed
• Command of the East given back to Sulla
• Sulla left for the East with legions

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Command of the East/Civil Wars
• Return of Marius
• Pro-Marius consul (Cinna) elected, exiled by
  Senate
• Consul put together an army
• Marius returned, put together an army
• Marian/consular armies took Rome

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Command of the East/Civil Wars
• Return of Marius
• Marius massacred opponents who were leaders of
  Senate

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Command of the East/Civil Wars
• In a word, so insatiable, a passion for
  bloodshed seized Marius that, when he had killed
  most of his enemies and because of excitement
  could remember no one else he wished to destroy,
  he passed the word to his soldiers to slay every
  passer-by, one after another, unless he extended
  his hand to him. Naturally in the great crowd
  and confusion many whose deaths he did not in
  the least desire died needlessly.
• Dio Cassio 30, 102.10

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Command of the East/Civil Wars
• Return of Marius
• Marius and Cinna elected consuls next year
• Marius died 14 days into term

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Command of the East/Civil Wars
• Return of Sulla
• Returned with 40,000 veterans
• Defeated consular armies
• Took Rome and began to persecute/slaughter his
  enemies
• Enemies names posted in Forum
• Could be killed, possessions taken

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Command of the East/Civil Wars
• Return of Sulla
• Rewards given to informers
• outlaws could be killed without fear of
  punishment
• 2,600 equestrians including 90 senators killed
• Land taken used to reward Sullas 150,000
  veterans
• Sulla declared dictator for life-restore
  authority

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Command of the East/Civil Wars
• Next generation of Roman leaders and generals
• Lived through Civil Wars
• Sided with Sulla or with Marius
• Patterns of leadership (Marius/Sulla) established

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• First Triumvirate
• Gnaeus Pompey, Crassus, and Julius Caesar
• Pompey Hispania,
• Crassus Syria,
• Caesar Gaul
• All opposed the Senate
• United to elect Caesar consul
• Why 3 leaders with equal power?

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First Triumvirate
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Fall of the Roman Republic

• Most powerful and wealthy patrician
• Military commander
• Put down slave revolt led by Spartacus
• Eager to prove brilliance as commander
• Killed in Parthia

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• Plebeian success story
• Brilliant military commander
• Pompey Magnus Pompey the Great
• Extremely wealthy and powerful politically

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• Career military commander but unproven
• Powerful family
• Elected consul
• Weakest member of the First Triumvirate

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Fall of the Roman Republic
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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Civil War between Pompey and Caesar
• Pompey defeated in Italy and Greece
• Killed in Egypt
• Julius Caesar
• Patrician, but played to the plebeians
• Named dictator for life
• Assassinated by patricians loyal to Senate

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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Second Triumvirate
• Marc Antony, Lepidus, Octavian
• Antony Egypt
• Octavian Italy
• Lepidus Hispania
• Why 3 leaders with equal power?

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Second Triumvirate
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Fall of the Roman Republic

• 6. Generals gained power
• Civil War between Antony and Octavian
• Antony/Cleopatra defeated at Actium
• Killed in Egypt
• Octavian
• Titles of Augustus and Caesar
• End of the Republic
• Beginning of the Roman Empire