Transcript Roman_Republic_ppt

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Picture depicts how all roads led to Rome. Image taken from: rome.mrdonn.org.
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* Italy is a peninsula with mountains across its
base and another mountain chain down its
length. It has large, flat plains with fertile soil,
as well as several volcanoes.
* Both Greece and Italy are mountainous;
however, Italy’s landscape is less rugged than
that of Greece. Italy also has rivers for
shipping.
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* Legend says that the founders of Rome were
Romulus and Remus. They were princes who were
born to their mother, a Latin princess and their
father, the God of War. Their uncle, who feared that
they would take over his thrown, had his guards
kidnapped them and throw them in the Tiber River
to die. They did not die, but was rescued by a shewolf. They were then raised by a shepherd and
eventually founded the city of Rome. They fought
ferociously over who would be able to name the
city and Romulus ended up killing Remus in a
heated argument. Romulus then went ahead and
named the city Rome after his name.
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* The purpose of the forum was to be the center
of Rome’s government, religion, and economy.
* Rome’s geography had two major advantages,
the hills that gave the Romans the natural
defense they needed and the Tiber River that
allowed access to a nearby port.
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* The kings, had broad powers, but served as the
head of the army, chief priest, and supreme
judge. The king could only stay in power if the
wealthy aristocrats allowed him to stay in
power.
Picture depicts ancient Roman Kings.
Image taken from: ancienthistory.about.com
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* The wealthy aristocrats became tired of the
kings, especially since the 7th king, Tarquin
treated his people very badly.
* They decided to oust the monarchy and install
a new system of government in which all free
men had the right to vote and elect officials.
Thus the Republic was born.
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* The Italian peninsula had may contributions
from its city-states.
* Greeks settled in Rome and brought their
culture with them.
* The Etruscans lived just north of Latium and
thus their culture was very difficult to ignore
and take in.
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* One of the results of Rome expanding was that it came into
contact with other cultures and absorbed aspects of those
cultures.
* The Romans were able to expand its empire due to it great
army. The Roman army was made up of a legion, 4,500 to
5,000 of heavily armed men. The legions were broken down
into smaller sections called maniples. Each maniple consisted
of 60 to 160 men. They were able to mold themselves into
the legion when the need aroused or fight separately, as in a
rough country. Roman armies were also willing to borrow
military weaponry ideas from others as they did with the
gladius and the maniples from the Samnites. They were also
excellent builders, which came in handy when they needed
to build roads and bridges when traveling.
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Depiction of Ancient Rome. Image taken from: questgarden.com.
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* The Roman government was structured by a
constitution. Their constitution is different than
that of the United States, as it was unwritten. It
was based on tradition and customs.
* Romans did not want to have one man as their ruler,
as he might treat his people badly, as their last king
did. To avoid having one sole ruler, Romans
instituted the Separation of Powers system, in
which the power of the government was shared
among different people with set roles. For example,
there were two consuls picked, so one can veto, or
stop their actions if they feel that the action was
not in the best interest of the people.
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* The checks and balance system divided the
power of the government between the three
branches of government: senate, assemblies,
and magistrates. This type of government is
called a tripartite government. Each branch
could check or stop another branch of
government from misusing power.
* The rule of law was applied to everyone, even
the politicians who in other cities were often
exempt from following the city’s rules.
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* The toga was a garment that adult men wore
wrapped around their bodies. The toga
symbolized that the man wearing it was a
Roman citizen, as only citizens could wear
them.
* Roman citizen had the right to a trial and to
vote. The Roman citizen’s responsibilities
included serving in the army and having civic
duty.
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* The assembly was made up of all the male citizens
of Rome that wished to participate in government.
Although the rich and poor participated, the
wealthy people vote counted more. At the
assemblies, Roman citizens elected officials and
passed laws, but the laws they passed could be
vetoed by the senate or elected officials.
* The Assembly was made up of male citizens that
wished to participate in government, while the
Senate was made up of the wealthiest and best
known men in Rome. The senators were older
gentlemen, who were thought of as having more
knowledge; do to their life experiences.
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* In order to become a magistrate one would
first have to be from a very wealthy family,
then they would have to work their way up the
ladder to that position.
* Most magistrates were relatives of former
magistrates.
* The office of the Magistrates did not represent
a democratic aspect of the Roman government.
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* The responsibilities of a tribune included:
acting as a protector of the Plebeians and
having the right to veto a law made by the
magistrate that they did not agree with.
* Praetors judged cases, managed the city of
Rome, and led armies in times of war.
* The consuls were the top officials of Rome.
They presided over the senate and assemblies,
and were the highest judges.
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* A dictator was not what it is in modern times. A
Roman dictator was called upon in times of great
emergency.
* One of the most famous dictators of the Roman
times was Cincinnatus. He was known as a good
man, who was a model citizen. As the dictator,
Cincinnatus quickly defeated his enemies and
quickly resigned his position to go back to his life on
the farm.
* The Ancient Roman’s most significant legacy would
be their constitution and citizen’s participation in
government.
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Picture depicts Roman Society: Patricians, Merchants, Artisans, Slaves. Image
taken from: schoolhelper.net
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* The oldest man in the Roman household had the
complete power of the family. He owned all
property, he could sell his children into slavery, and
he could even kill family members without
punishment.
* Roman women could own property and had more
freedom than Greek women. They went to parties,
enjoyed the theater, and participated in religious
festivals. Women, though was predominately known
for their role as mother, wife, and caretaker of the
home.
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* The wealthy Romans were placed in two categories. The first
was the wealthy person who made their money from the land
that they owned and the second is the person who became
wealthy due to their business ventures.
* Wealthy Romans often lived in one to two story homes that
were as large as a city block, some lived in large villas.
* Wealthy men handled their business dealing and did all they
could to advance their political career.
* Wealthy women stayed at home and were expected to
supervise the slaves and raise their children. The lives of the
poor were very different than the rich. The poor lived in
cramped apartments without running water. Most common
men and women rented land from wealthy landowners to
farm. The other commoners worked as day laborers or ran
stores, taverns, or restaurants.
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* Slaves were often treated very badly. Some
slaves were fortunate and lived in their
wealthy master’s homes, helping them cook
and clean. Other fortunate slaves became
tutors. These slaves were mostly of Greek
origins. Slaves overwhelmed the population,
with one point reaching 40%. The slave
Spartacus changed the outlook of slaves by
revolting against the Romans. He eventually
failed, but his attempt made a lasting
impression.
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* The Romans believed in many Gods and
Goddesses. Many of their beliefs came from
the Greeks and Estruscans.
* The Romans had an established religion
supported by the government. The government
officials often sought the advise of religious
officials before making major decisions. The
Romans tried to placate their Gods, as they
believed that if they made the Gods happy,
then they would get what they want.
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Picture depicts Hannibal crossing the Alps on an elephant.
Image taken from: mrguerriero.blogspot.com
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* The army of Carthage, led by Hannibal defeated the
Romans in three separate wars, but the Romans did
not give up their country. The Romans continued
fighting until 218 B.C., when general Scipio
defeated the Carthage army.
* The Romans were always afraid that Carthaginians
would seek revenge for their last lost and thus
Rome decided to attack them, before being
attacked. The Romans captured Carthage and
burned the city and looted it. To ensure that no one
would seek revenge against them in the future, they
sold the people of Carthage into slavery.
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* One of the major causes behind the fall of the
Republic was the misuse of power by the
magistrates. The magistrates often stole from
the people, making them richer and the people
poorer than they already were. The
magistrates also stole from the wealthy people
in foreign countries that they would conquer.
This allowed them great wealth and power at
home. This also allowed them to use violence
in winning elections, instead of going through
the appropriate and fair election process.
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* The poor became poorer. Tenant farmers lost
their livelihood and went to the city looking for
work. There were politicians such as the
Gracchus brothers who did what they could to
help the poor, but in their attempt to do good
deeds, they were killed.
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* Soldiers were more loyal to their commanders
than to the government, because their
commander ensured that they were taken care
of financially after they left the army.
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* Civil wars started to erupt in Rome when people did
not agree with one side or the other. Marius and Sulla
fought the first civil war. Sulla was chosen by the
government to lead the fight against a rich enemy, but
Marius was selected by the assembly to lead. This
caused an up roar and thus, they went to war. Sulla
eventually won and ruled as dictator for a year and
then retired. Afterwards, the general Pompey and
Caesar came to power. They originally had worked
together for the good of Rome, but they too were
caught in a fight for power. Caesar won that fight and
made himself dictator for life. After he died, his
nephew was named ruler and the republic was
officially removed and replaced by a monarchy.
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