Transcript From Republic To Empire - Miami Beach Senior High School

From Republic To Empire
SS.A.2.4.5; SS.B.2.4.1; SS.B.1.4.4
The Power of the Senate
“Fortune began to grow cruel…for greed
destroyed honor, integrity and all other
noble qualities”~Sallust, 133 B.C.
 200 BC: All power lies with the Senate
 Most senators=rich land owners/families
 Directed wars
 Controlled domestic & foreign policy
 Controlled $

Inequality & Unrest
Most land owned by rich
 Small farmers forced to cities; poor
 Poor masses growing angry
 Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, try to help,
ask Council of the Plebes to pass land
reforms

 Take

land from rich, give to poor
Reforms anger Senate, Senators kill
Gracchus brothers
Military Fills In Gaps
New Roll For Roman Military
Early Roman army=small land owners
 Marius (consul of Rome in 107 BC) begins
recruiting from city’s poor, no land
 These new volunteers swore loyalty to
Marius, not Rome/Senate- no gov. control
 To get land for army vets, Generals now
involved in politics, Gen=power
 Gens Sulla & Marius fight civil war

 Sulla
takes control of Rome (82 BC), and after
killing all opposition, restores power to Senate
Marius & Sulla
Collapse of the Republic
82-31 BC: 50 years of Civil War
 Crassus, Pompey & Julius Caesar rise

 First
triumvirate
Crassus dies in battle, Senate decides
Pompey should be only ruler
 Caesar refuses to give up power, brings
army across Rubicon River, attack Rome
 Pompey dies, Caesar only ruler left
 45 BC: Caesar=dictator; assassinated 44 BC

Julius Caesar
Caesar’s Legacy
Increased Senate to 900 members
 Gave land to poor
 New calendar—Julian Calendar
 New buildings in Rome
 Running water for all
 Triumphs: public parties marking his
military victories

Caesar’s Empire; 44 B.C.
Monument to Caesar
Caesar, Protector of Rome
The Julian Calendar








Ianuarius
31
Februarius
28
Martius
31
Aprilis
30
Maius
31
Iunius
30
Quintilis (Iulius) 31
Sextilis (Augustus) 31





September
October
November
December
Intercalaris
30
31
30
31
0
Total: 365 days
 Leap year rather than
Intercalaris

Second Triumvirate
After Caesar’s death; Octavian, Marc
Antony, Lepidus—after few years, Lep out
 Caesar Octavian vs. Marc Antony
 31 BC: Octavian crushes joint army of
Antony and Cleopatra VII of Egypt
 Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide
 At age 32, Octavian alone rules Roman
Empire—changes name to Caesar
Augustus (Age of Augustus: 31 BC-AD 14)

Hail, Caesar Augustus!
Do Now: Section Review


Read Chapter 5, Section 2 (156-162)
Turn to page 162, write and answer
questions 1, 2, 4, 5 & 7