Transcript Rome: From Republic to Empire

Rome: From Republic to Empire
Mr. Clor- World History
The Peoples of Italy
1. Rome was founded by
the Latins who
migrated into Italy
the 9th Century BCE
2. They shared the area
with other people
including Greek
colonists and the
Etruscans living to the
north of Rome
The Etruscans
1. They ruled much of Italy including Rome itself
2. They were driven out of Italy in 509 BCE making
way for Rome to step forward
The Roman Republic
1.
In 509 BCE The Romans found their Republic
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Republic-system of government in which officials are
chosen by the people
The Republic was run by the Senate
The 300 member senate were all patricians (land
holding members of the upper class)
The Senators served for life
Each year the senators elected from the patrician
class two consuls
It was the consuls job to supervise the government
and oversee the military.
Roman Checks and Balances
1. The Roman Consul could only serve one
term and was also expected to consult with
the senate
2. By limiting the term in office and by making
the consuls responsible to the senate they
created an effective set of checks on the
government’s power
The Dictator
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In the event of war the senate could choose a dictator, or
ruler who has complete control of the government and
armies
Each Roman dictator was granted only 6 months then he had
to give up power
Romans admired Cincinnatus as the model dictator. He
organized an army, led them to victory over the attacking
enemy and returned to his farmland in only 16 days
The Plebeians
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At the beginning of the republic the plebeians, or the
farmers, merchants, and artisans held little power.
They made up the bulk of the population yet they had little
influence
In 450BC that changed when the Roman senate had the laws
of Rome inscribed on 12 tablets and set them up in the
Forum, or marketplace
Plebeians originally argued that they could not follow the
law if they did not know the law
The laws allowed the plebeians appeal laws handed down
from the patrician judges
In time the plebeians were granted to elect their own
officials, veto laws they felt were harmful and eventually
they were able to become elected to the senate
Rome: Culture Thief
1. Rome took many of
their cultural beliefs
from the Etruscans
and the Greeks
2. The Roman gods were
pulled directly from
the Greek gods
Roman Legions
1.
Rome soon became a force after
conquering the Etruscans
This was in large part due to its army
The basic unit of the Roman army
was the legion, which was made up
of about 5,000 men
Roman soldiers were considered
citizens they received no pay and
had to provide their own weapons
To ensure success Roman
commanders mixed rewards with
harsh punishments.
Soldiers who showed courage were
rewarded with gifts and praise
If units fled from battle they were
decimated
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1 out of every 10 soldiers is chosen
by lot to be executed by the
remaining 9 soldiers by stoning or
clubbing
Conquered Lands
1. Rome was generally kind to the conquered people
2. They had to pay taxes and supply the Roman army.
In return they were allowed to keep their customs,
money and local government
3. To some privileged groups Rome gave full Roman
citizenship while others were granted partial
citizenship allowing them to marry Roman
citizenship and carry on business in Rome
4. Due to this policy many lands remained loyal to
Rome
Protecting and Unifying the Empire
1. To protect their empire the
Romans positioned their army
throughout the empire
2. It also built the Via Appia, an
all weather road system, that
connected all parts of the
empire
3. Merchants began using the
roads which increased trade
and the people began
incorporating Latin and other
Roman customs and beliefs
The Punic Wars
1. After Rome conquered the peninsula they
soon came into contact with Carthage a
North African Empire founded by
Phoenicians and North Africans
2. Between 264 BC and 146 BC Rome fought
three wars with Carthage
3. These wars were called the Punic Wars from
the Latin word Punicus meaning Phoenicians
The First Punic War
1. During the first Punic war Rome defeated Carthage
and won Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia
The Second Punic War
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Carthage wanted revenge for their
losses and mounted an attack against
Rome herself in 218 BC
The Carthaginian general Hannibal
led his army, including dozens of war
elephants, on a march through Spain
over the Pyrenees, through France
and then over the Alps to attack
Rome from the north
The trek cost Hannibal half of his
army however, Hannibal caught the
Romans off guard and his victories
piled up as the Romans expected to
be attacked from the south
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For the next 15 years Hannibal terrorized Italy winning
victory after victory
Hannibal refused to attack Rome herself allowing Rome a
chance to outflank Hannibal
Rome sends an army to attack the city of Carthage
Hannibal rushes home to defend the city
Here Hannibal loses and Carthage is forced to give up all of
their territory except in Africa
The Third Punic War
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After the defeat of Carthage, Rome still wanted revenge for the
destruction at the hands of Hannibal
A influential senator, Cato, ended all of his speeches “Carthage must be
destroyed”
In the final war Rome razed Carthage to the ground, sold all of survivors
into slavery, and poured salt over the earth so that nothing would ever
grow there again
Conquests
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The Romans began a policy of imperialism
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Imperialism- establishing control over foreign land and
people
They conquered the Hellenistic rulers who had
divided up Alexander’s empire
Soon Greece, Macedonia, and Asia Minor were
conquered by the Romans
Some places like Egypt allied with Rome
Soon the empire stretched from Spain to the
Persian Gulf
Paying for the Empire
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The expansion of the empire
helped pay for the empire
Meanwhile the conquered
people were sold into slavery
and became a new workforce to
help build the empire
The use of slave labor on farms
drove down the price of grain
Farmers then flocked to cities
especially Rome and became a
permanent unemployed class
who were unruly
Meanwhile the upper-class
were mired in corruption
Decline of the Republic
1. With the corruption of the wealthy senators
factions emerged
2. The armies became professional and their
loyalty was to their commanders
3. The armies became a tool of their
commanders for political power
Gaius Julius Caesar
1. Of the generals
emerged Julius Caesar
2. For a time Caesar was
allied with Pompey
another general
3. Caesar returned to
Italy after a 9 year
campaign against
Gaul (France)
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Fearful of Caesar’s rising fame, Pompey convinced the
senate to demand Caesar disband his army and return to
Rome
Caesar defies the order and marches his army across the
Rubicon River into northern Italy and marched on Rome
Caesar crushes Pompey and his supporters, he then has the
senate name him dictator and his now the absolute ruler of
Rome
Caesar’s Reforms
1. Between 48 BC and 44 BC Caesar pushed
through many reforms
2. He launched a public works program to
employ the jobless underclass
3. He also introduces the Julian Calendar which
lasts for 1,600 years
Et Tu Brute
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Caesar’s enemies worried that
he planned to make himself
king of Rome
In order to save the Republic,
Caesar’s enemies plotted to
assassinate him
In 44BC as he is arriving at the
senate his enemies stabbed him
to death including his close
friend Brutus
His death plunged Rome back
into civil war
In 31BC Caesar’s greatnephew Octavian defeated
Mark Anthony after the two
had hunted down the murders
Roman Emperors
1. The senate named Octavian “first citizen” but
is essentially an absolute ruler
2. However, whenever a emperor died there
was no direct successor as Rome was weary
of a direct line from father to son
3. The death of a senator often brought violence
and intrigue
Crazy Emperors
1. Caligula- named his
horse as consul of the
empire
2. Nero- set Rome on
fire and blamed it on
the Christians
Good Emperors
1. Hadrian- codified
Roman law making it
the same for all
provinces, he also
built a wall in Britain
putting his idle
soldiers to work
2. Marcus Aurelius- was
a philosopher-king
who promoted Stoic
philosophy
Pax Romana
1. The three hundred years from Augustus (Octavian)
to Marcus Aurelis was called Pax Romana or the
Roman peace
2. This period had the Roman Empire stretch from
Britain to Spain to the Persian gulf
Bread & Circuses
1. The emperors paid for gladiator contests,
chariot races, and other spectacles to pacify
the population (The Circuses)
2. Also, food was given to the people to keep
them happy (The Bread)
3. This was they way to keep the people in line
during this period. However, this system
would not last