Transcript From Republic to Empire

From Republic to
Empire
Copyright © Clara Kim 2007. All rights reserved.
After the Punic Wars
• Increasing wealth and expanding
empire brought many problems
• The most serious problem was
the widening gap between the
rich and the poor.
1
• Thousands of slaves were
captured and made to work on
Latifundias = huge estates.
2
• Thousands of Soldiers returned from
war without jobs or homes.
• They moved to cities like Rome to
find work.
• They became part of the poor class.
Two Brothers
• Tiberius and Gracchus
tried to help Rome’s
poor by proposing to:
– Give land to the poor
– Limit the size of estates
(latifundias)
• The senators felt
threatened and the two
brothers were murdered
3
• Rich Romans
became corrupt
with money and
luxury and
tensions between
the rich and the
poor caused a
civil war!
Julius Caesar
• Eventually an
ambitious
and daring
leader
emerged to
bring order to
Rome
Triumvirate
• The First Triumvirate = Julius
Caesar, Crassus and Pompey
• Triumvirate = a group of three
leaders working together in
government
• He conquered all of Gaul in
France
Caesar’s Reforms
• He became the
absolute ruler of Rome
= he had total power.
• He expanded the
Senate by adding his
friends
• Created jobs for the
poor and expanded
land
• Raised pay for soldiers
Caesar’s Assassination
Why did Julius Caesar have enemies
among the rich and powerful?
• military victories = very popular with the Romans.
• His soldiers were very loyal to their leader so Senate
was afraid of his popularity and power.
• Pompey and some senators tried to take over power
and Caesar defeated Pompey.
• After the civil war, Caesar was given more power.
• Senators didn't trust anyone who wanted to be a
dictator and take their power. They thought he was
trying to end the Republic.
• Caesar tried to get control of the senate by adding
more senators who were loyal to him. Therefore, the
senators felt their power was slipping even further.
• He granted citizenship to many Greeks. This made
many Roman citizens angry.
Rise of Imperial Rome
• Octavian = adopted son of Caesar
defeats Mark Antony (Caesar’s best
general
• Accepts title of Augustus = “exalted
one” and becomes Rome’s first
Emperor.
• During his rule Rome enters a time of
peace and prosperity known as the
Pax Romana or “Roman Peace”
Pictures Cited
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Slide 2 – http://www.crystalinks.com/punicwars.jpg
Slide 3 – http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/corinthians/images/culinaslaves.jpg
Slide 4 – http://italophiles.com/images/wbreem8.jpg
Slide 5 – http://www.the-romans.co.uk/gallery2/full/republic10.jpg
Slide 6 – http://www.igniq.com/images/rometotalwar240804.jpg
Slide 7 – http://www.markchurms.com/Merchant2/graphics/caesar-l.jpg
Slide 9 –
http://www.ancientworlds.net/aworlds_media/ibase_1/00/10/57/00105773_
000.gif
• Slide 10 –
http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sharemed/targets/images/pho/t9
70/T970406A.jpg