Transcript The Republic in Crisis

The Republic in
Crisis
Roman triumphed militarily, but
faced growing social problems
• Wealthy Romans took land from warravaged small farmers
– Latifunidia – large estates created by wealthy
• War captives made up most of slaves
• Following the Punic Wars, large
landowners used these slaves, causing small
farmers to loose their lands and migrate into
the cities
• Unemployment resulted when these small
farmers were unable to find work
Latifunida
The People Revolt
• Rome was forced to station legions
in most of its provinces to keep
down revolts
– Spartacus led a slave revolt
• Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus,
brothers who were in the Roman
senate, both suggested limiting the
size of the latifundias and giving
the land to the poor and were killed
for their ideas
Julius Caesar
• Ruled Rome with Pompey and
Crassus as a triumvirate (group of 3
persons with equal power)
• He led Rome in the conquest of Gaul
and the British Isles
– He became a military hero to Rome’s
lower classes
• Pompey and Caesar became rivals
and Caesar was ordered to turn over
his army and return to Rome
Caesar Takes Control
• Rather than surrendering, Caesar took his
army into Rome crossing the Rubicon river
– Civil war between Caesar and the Senate made
Julius Caesar dictator for life
• Caesar granted citizenship to many people
in the provinces outside Italy
• Caesar also carried out reforms to benefit
the poor
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Created jobs
Land was provided for the landless poor
Government distributed free grain
Created a calendar based on 365 days
Caesar’s Death
• Many thought he was a wise ruler,
but some thought he was a tyrant
who wanted to become king
– Roman law said anyone plotting to
become king could be killed without trial
• A group of Roman senators, led by
Brutus and Cassius stabbed Caesar
to death March 15, 44 BC
The Death of Caesar
Causes for the decline of the
Roman Republic
• Spread of slavery in the
agricultural system
• Migration of small farmers into
cities and unemployment
• Civil war over the power of Julius
Caesar
• Devaluation of Roman currency
leading to inflation
Augustus Comes to Power
• Octavian, Marc Antony and
Marcus Lepidus joined forces to
create a second triumvirate which
defeated Caesar’s assassins
–Divided the Roman world among
themselves
• Octavian controlled Rome
• Antony ruled Greece and East
• Lepidus took North Africa
• Octavian forced Lepidus to retire from
political life and convinced Rome to
attack Marc Antony
– Marc Antony had married Cleopatra and
many believed that Antony wanted to
rule Rome with his foreign queen
• Octavian defeats Marc Antony at
Battle of Actium
• Marc Antony and Cleopatra committed
suicide to avoid capture
• Octavian became the FIRST
emperor of Rome and changed his
name to Augustus (Exalted One)
– Also took the name Imperator
(meaning emperor)
– Octavian claimed to support
the republic at first,
however he prepared to
become Rome’s first
emperor
The Caesars
• Julius Caesar and Augustus
Caesar achieved power in Rome
through military and political
prowess. Military conquests
provided them with influence
over the Roman army, economy
and society.
–Both Caesars enlarged the Roman
empire using the army as a basis of
power
–Economic life in Rome remained
prosperous even though the emphasis of
trade shifted to the Mediterranean Sea
–Inflation resulting from military
conquests and defense continued to hurt
the economy
–Social life was disturbed by civil wars
The Pax Romana
• Pax Romana- time of peace and
prosperity in Rome
– Starts about the time of Augustus’
reign (27BC)
– Lasts for over 200 years
• Population between this time is
60-80 million
• Empire covers most of Europe
and Africa
Economy of the Pax Romana
• Economy was based on Agriculture
– Many people farmed
– Traded at sea, used Roman navy for protection
– Traded along roads connected to the Silk Roads
• Created a coin monetary system
– Made of silver- called a denarius
– Made trade easier because there was a common
way to trade all over the empire